Wolvie's Winter Wonderland
by sweet-n-sassy928
Summary: They're back in action! The long awaited sequel to Wolverine Scouts is finally here! Kitty, Rogue, Piotr, and Remy are back at camp and Logan is still in charge . Get ready for more pranks, mischief, and romance.
1. And So It Begins

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution**

Death glares flew across the bus- like random bullets going through the aisle. Rogues eyes sired a hole in the dirty green bus seat in front of her; Kitty stared into her compact (like it held the answer to world hunger) as she reapplied a peachy pink lip gloss.

Bobby hocked a spit wad across the bus at Tabby, two rows behind them. Tabitha stood with her fist in a wad, ready to send a little more business to a lucky dentist, when Rogue calmly raised her hand.

"Ignore it." She had taken the unlikely position of being their leader. Tabby hit her fist against her palm twice- just so he knew she wasn't afraid to deck him. Rogue sent an icy look to Remy, before giving a single nod to an expectant Kitty.

"Control _him_." Kitty whisper hissed in her fiercest Regina George inspired voice.

Remy turned to Piotr with a look of disbelief. Pete shook his head once, with a warning glance that said _Don't do it_ in bold red letters. Remy ignored him.

"What is dis petite? Second grade?" He cocked an eyebrow. "If she wants to tell me something, she can address me herself."

Kitty's mouth fell open. She put her manicured finger up like she was ready to bob her head and tell him what was up- but Rogue placed a frosty calm hand on her shoulder.

"_She_ will address you whenever _she_ feels like it." She said with a cold stare. "And _she_ is telling _you_ not to address Kitty like that." Her eyes narrowed. "Tell Bobby to knock it off." Satisfied smirks spread to every female face on the bus.

Remy glowered. But he turned in his seat to bark at Bobby.

Kitty held up her hand, without looking away from her flawless shell pink nails. In a rare moment of sisterhood, Rogue returned the high five. More smirks arose on the girls' side.

Remy smirked too. "You guys-"

"Girls." Kitty corrected.

"_Girls_" He said it like a small child would say _boogers_. "Think that was a victory." He shook his head. "Don't mistake being a _gentleman_ for being weak."

"We're being the bigger person." Scott said. Remy pinched the bridge of his nose. The ladies burst out in laughter.

Logan, oblivious to the conflict going on behind him, drove as he read the day's sport section.

But what caused the rift between our dear protagonists? We must look to a much, much earlier point in time…

_**Yesterday Morning**_

"You think Ah can't handle myself?" Rogue tromped out of the Danger Room, a small scrape on her shoulder where her uniform had ripped. Kitty huffed out behind her.

"Remy was only trying to help Chere." Remy winked at her with a casual smirk.

"We had it under control." Rogue folded her arms over her chest; her eyes narrowed. A small crowd gathered, pretending to mill about as they stared (casually).

"I was just coming to da aid," He grabbed her gloved hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles. "Of my damsel in distress."

Rogue's jaw dropped. Along with every other females' in the room.

"Oh no he didn't!" Kitty put her hand over her glossy Pink Lemonade lips.

"Damsel- in- distress?" Rogue snapped. "So you came to my rescue because Ah'm a girl?"

Before Remy could open his mouth and dig a bigger hole for himself, Pete stepped forward. "He was only trying to be a gentleman."

"So you're agreeing with him?" Kitty's brow furrowed as she folded her arms over her chest.

Pete blushed, but stayed calm. "If it means you were not hurt, then yes."

"What? Y'all think we can't take a hit?" Rogue cocked a brow at the group of boys on the other side of the room.

"Let's be honest Chere," Remy still had an irritating smirk on his face. "You want someone like Petie taking a full force swing at da Chaton?" Pete shook his head, not wanting to be more in this than he already was.

"It's not like we can't defend ourselves." Jean pulled away from the group of girls to the front, with Rogue and Kitty.

"Who invited Princess Jean?" Remy shrugged. "No offense rousse, but this is a personal confrontation." In his defense, he did try to say it politely.

"It is when you call my gender inferior." She folded her arms over her chest, so that all three girls stood in uniform line.

"We aren't calling you inferior," Scott jumped in too.

"You're just saying we can't fight like you can?" Kitty glared.

"Exactly."

Then, all Hades broke loose. Mini-battles broke out between the sects of teens now gathered outside the danger room- arguing, yelling, scowling from one side to another; until Logan entered, and the groups simmered to a quiet. His brow furrowed as the glares continued through the odd silence. He looked from the girls to the boys.

"I don't want to know." He grunted. "Just make sure you're all packed for tomorrow."

"Gladly." Rogue said coolly. The rest of the ladies fallowed single file behind her, leaving the men to twiddle their thumbs.

_**Back to the Future**_

"Well," Logan slammed down on the breaks, knocking every passenger into the seat in front of them. Kitty lost control of her lip gloss, smearing it down to her jaw. "Here we are."

The place was oddly familiar- dense forests of evergreens and oaks, a huge hill with a shed on top (at least this time, they didn't have to hike up). But it was different. Perfect white snow laid a sparkly slick cloak over the land. And there were lines of tiny cabins at the bottom of the hill.

"We get cabins?" Kitty beamed. After living in a shabby green tent last summer, it looked like a miniaturized Hilton.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Yes half pint. Chuck wouldn't allow me to let you die of hypothermia." He frowned.

"And- we get to keep our stuff?" Bobby asked, cautiously. He clung to his black Jansport backpack.

Logan nodded. "But, to keep things interesting," he had his evil grin on, "It's a race. First pair of roommates to raise their cabin's flag wins."

**A/N: It has been too long, hasn't it? **

**Feel free to leave some suggestions or ideas (or just review in general;))**


	2. Up a Pole Without a String

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution**

"Oh my gosh Rogue!" Kitty yelled, catching her balance before she tripped over a snow covered rock. Cold air squeezed her lungs; her breath came out in gray puffs of steam. "We're like, going downhill!" As they sprinted down the slope, she had visions of falling on a hard patch of snow, and knocking all her teeth out. It horrified her.

"It's a race Kitty!" Rogue made one last jump to flat ground before taking off at full speed. Kitty straggled behind her.

They wasted no time when Logan declared it a race- they were the first team to realize that he was telling them to get going. But their head start dwindled- Remy and Pete weren't far behind, and neither were Bobby (who felt fairly at home in the slush) and Ray.

"How do we know which one is ours?" Kitty gasped as they sprinted the hundred yards to the tidy rows of cabins.

"First come first serve!" Logan called from the top, his hands cupped around his mouth.

She shuddered. It was totally creepy when he listened in like that.

Rogue darted into the first cabin on the left. Remy and Pete went for the cabin directly across.

"Where's the flag?" Kitty wheezed. It was really, _really_ cold up in that business.

"It's hidden in your room!" Logan bellowed again.

"Stop eavesdropping!" Kitty called out, shuddering again, as she dropped to the floor next to Rogue to scout out the banner. "It's creepy!"

"Fine then Half Pint! I'll stop helping you!"

Kitty rolled her large blue eyes. She reached for a sheet of off white canvas in front of her.

"Ah!" She shrieked. The cloth dropped to the ground like a burning coal. Rogue glared at her. "There was a freaking spider!"

"Kitty!" Rogue snatched up the flag, flicking the bug to the ground. "Is now really the time?" They dashed out the front, where a metal flag pole stood uncovered in the cold.

"There's no rope thingy!" Kitty stared at the pole. "How do we hang it without the rope thingy?"

On the ends of one side of the flags, in the corners, were two brass rings. At the top of the flag pole, were a pair of clips.

"We climb it."

_**Meanwhile**_

"Here flaggy, flaggy, flaggy!" Remy called, scanning under his bunk.

"I do not think calling it is going to help." Piotr said as he flipped up one of the beds, to check its underside.

Dust puffed up as Remy snatched up the sheet of off white canvas from under his bunk.

"Petey, Remy will do whatever it takes," he panted. "If dat means calling to inanimate objects, den so be it." He analyzed the flag pole outside. "Mind giving me a boost?" He muttered, seeing the lack of the _rope thingy_. "See, if da filles win, we'll never live it down. Dis is for-"

He was interrupted by a shrill whistle from the top of the hill.

"We have a winner!" Logan called.

Rogue dropped from the top of the flag pole, to the ground, dusting off her hands on her jeans.

"Our pride." Remy muttered. A frown wrinkled his forehead.

"Nice try boys," Kitty called from across the way. Giggles slipped from between her peachy pink lips. The girls high-fived.

Remy's eyes narrowed. This was no longer some silly little feud. Remy LeBeau did not lose. Ever.

This was war.

"What did we win?" Kitty yelled, her manicured hands cupped over her mouth. Her grin filled her face; her eyes gleamed like a little girl who'd just won tickets to a Bieber concert.

"No conditioning today." Logan grunted.

She was so ecstatic, she busted out the happy dance- singing _Celebration_ by Kool and the Gang. Even Rogue smirked a bit.

"Did I tell the rest of you to stop hustling?" Wolverine snarled. "Last team does double!"

Scrambling ensued.

"Second place is first loser." Remy mutter-pouted as he clipped the flag in.

_**Slightly Later**_

Rage fueled him. He grumbled in French. It wasn't the conditioning- he prided himself on being in top physical condition- it was the principle, the slight loss of dignity they'd just suffered.

"Perhaps we should-"

"Perhaps we should plan our first strike for tonight?" Remy pumped out pushups like a machine, breathing evenly through his nose, in spite of the freezing air. A light sweat formed on the back of his neck. "You read my mind mon ami."

Piotr frowned- but perhaps this was not the appropriate time to suggest a truce.

"Meeting in our cabin tonight boys." Remy declared.

The guys grunted out what they could of an agreement.

"On the bright side, we'll all have six packs now." Bobby panted as he rolled over onto his back.

"Not that it matters since they've sworn off women." Tabby said as her arms extended. She couldn't do any more pushups, but there was still energy to receive all the high fives bestowed on her.

"Did I say it was nap time Ice Princess?" Logan called through a blow horn at Bobby, who promptly rolled back over.

Remy already had a six pack- so he was a little more concerned with restoring their pride as men.

_**Meanwhile**_

"Do you think we should like, decorate our flag?" Kitty said, giddy. She checked out the window to see their banner flowing in the icy breeze.

Rogue rolled her eyes- _that_ would_ be her main concern_.

"So, fearless leader," Kitty swaggered over to flop down on Rogue's bed. Her good moods generally shortened her attention span. "When is our first meeting?"

"What?" Rogue's brow furrowed.

"We should have a meeting- a time to group up." Kitty cocked an eyebrow. "We just beat them in a physical challenge- they'll like, totally be out for blood."

A sigh parted Rogue's lips. She was right. They needed to plan.

But still- it was weird being the one in charge.

"We'll tell them to meet up here tonight."

Kitty clasped her hands under her chin. "It will be like, a mini slumber party."

Rogue's face contorted- _slumber party?_ "Whatever." She said. "Just make sure they're all here."

_Time to get a plot together._

**Dun dun dun! haha. please re****view guys. suggestions are still welcomed!=)**_  
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	3. The Inner Sanctum

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution**

"Fellas, guys, gentlemen," Remy LeBeau paced as best he could in the front of the cramped cabin. He put his hands behind his back and spoke in his best football coach voice. Super-teens sat on the floors, on the bunks, in the corners, watching.

They looked up at their leader, with the fiery glint in his ruby and black eyes. "We need a plan of attack." Black boots flattened along the floor, heel before toe in smooth steps. A deck of cards and his staff perched in the pocket of his trench coat, as usual. "In spite of my better judgment," He looked up to the ceiling, _Dieu m'aider, _"I am asking for your input."

"We need a structured, well organized strategy-"

"Everyone _except _for Scott's input." Remy put his hand up to signal Scott to stop speaking.

"But I have the most experience as leader!"

"_Prince_ of thieves Scotty," Remy wagged his finger. "_Prince_. I'd say dat gives me a little experience in a leadership position."

"Perhaps," all eyes on Piotr, "We should allow them the first move." He blinked his blue eyes. Light red blush appeared in his cheeks. He continued, shyly. "They are mysterious creatures- full of sneakiness and strategy. They are quiet vicious."

Again, all the eyes in the room looked up at him.

"You have not seen _Mean Girls_?"

Had it not been someone who could knock them into a comma until their fortieth birthdays, they might have burst into laughter. But you don't laugh at someone who has fists of iron. You just don't.

"Kitty has poisoned _your mind_." Remy clutched his friends shoulder sympathetically.

Pete frowned. "Just because she is more _feminine_ than Rogue-"

"Don't talk about her like that." Remy snapped, then pouted. "She's just… less fragile."

"They're tearing us apart!" Bobby cried. "In our own inner sanctum!" He'd always wanted to use that term- wasn't gonna waste that opportunity.

"He's right!" Shaking off the pout, Remy went back to pacing. It's a manly thing to do: Manly men pace. "We need to focus!"

They nodded their heads- like men. Manly men. Nodding their heads. Like men.

"All in favor of allowing dem da first move?"

Three hands went up.

"No way we can't let them draw first blood!" Bobby called. "They already won the first challenge."

A wince went through Remy's face. That wound hadn't scabbed over yet.

"Hate to admit it, but Bobby is right. If we let them strike first, dey'll think they won again."

Pete fought the urge to protest- girls are schemers; they were crafty in ways men could never dream of. And they knew how to get even. But, he was outnumbered. So he bit his tongue.

"Alright den." The infamous _Thinking Face_ broke on Gambit's visage: narrowed eyes, lip sucked in, hand stroking his jaw.

"Got it!" He snapped his fingers by his face. "Remy's got a plan."

"I thought you wanted out input?" Bobby frowned.

"Dat was just a formality." Remy deadpanned.

_**Meanwhile**_

The girls sat in an organized semi-circle around Rogue and Kitty's cabin. There was no question over who their leader was- at all, not even for a second. It was Rogue- without her, none of this would have come up anyway. Kitty sat on the bed, next to Rogue, writing on an aqua Five Star notebook, in sparkly, neon pink pen.

"Um, hi guys." Still, it was a little awkward. Light, rosy blushed touched her normally pale cheeks.

"_Girls_," Kitty corrected gently. Spirit fingers went up on every girl's right hand.

"Girls," Rogue continued, with a more confident nod. She could do this. "Do we have any ideas as to what we can do."

"Blow up Bobby's cabin." Tabby muttered- receiving a load of high fives for the dig. A mild frown from Rogue drew another silence. "Just, you know, as a warning."

A load of oxygen filled Rogue's lungs. "We won't stoop to their level- this is all about proving who can be the better people."

"So we're just going to sit around and sing kumbaya?

"No," Rogue's eyes closed while she inhaled. "We're going to prank them like _civilized_ people."

Epiphany _ohhhh_'s rang through the room.

"So, I have an idea." She adjusted her black yoga pants so that the seams lined up properly. "We should let them strike first."

Half uncertain, half hostile looks ascended among them, before Kitty nodded.

"Think about it guys," she said. "On Fear Factor, you always take the last slot- so you know what you have to beat."

"Exactly." Rogue said. "If we let them go first, we see the bar they've set, and plan to beat it."

"So we're just going to be sitting ducks, waiting for them to get us?" Amara looked a little frightened.

Rogue shrugged. "We're just going to have to be prepared at all times- deflect the attack as best we can, and take one for the team."

"Come on ladies," Kitty stood to rally the troops. "We're girls! Sneaky, underhanded fighting is what we do best."

They looked unsoothed.

"They're going to like, do it anyway. We might as well like, use it to our advantage."

"We're Sirens ladies." Rogue said in her strongest voice. "We can handle it."

"We're resurrecting the Sirens?" Tabby smirked.

"There's never been a better time."

After some deliberation, they agreed. All of them, together.

As they funneled out of the cabin, Rogue exhaled, _hope Ah'm doing this right._ A reassuring smile from Kitty drew out a smile of her own. They could do this.

_We are women…our cleverness lies in crafting evil_.

**A/N: (Evil smiley face here) The last line is a quote from Medea- so no, I do not own that. Hope you guys enjoyed! If you have any suggestions for pranks you want to see- feel free to make some suggestions!**


	4. Chocolate Waterfalls of Doom

**A/N: I know this update took forever. My sincerest apologies=/ **

**I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

"Isn't this a little weak?" Bobby said. Frosty steam sputtered through his lips as the night air set in between them.

"Dere needs to be a dramatic build up." Remy's eyes shifted like the paranoid thief he was. The coast seemed clear enough- but was it? (Yes. It was. Stop being paranoid Remy.) He gave Piotr the nod- operation Cocoa was ago.

Why was Bobby on their team? Remy, skillful leader that he was, realized that they could not afford to leave him anywhere else. At least this way if he screwed up, it would be where they could fix it.

"I'm just saying-"

"Bobby- are you trying to alert the enemy of our presence?" Remy gritted his teeth in a sarcastic grin.

"No-"

"Den would you please shut up?"

Remy and Pete exchanged an exasperated look- amateurs. Honestly. Bobby frowned; he dusted his hands together, making it clear that he took no responsibility for any of this.

The trio crept from the side of the cabin to the front where Remy, Prince of Thieves, jimmied the door open. After assessing the future victim's consciousness, he called in his team.

Bobby, already forgetting the whole _SILENCE! _rule, piped up. "This is so legit- we're like-"

THUD!

He dropped a container; the size of a jumbo coffee can, on the floor.

'I'm going to kill you!' rage filled Remy's countenance. His head snapped up to look at the girls. Still sleeping.

"Do not worry- Katya could sleep through a bombing." Pete attempted to ease the panicked look on Bobby's stunned face. Remy glared at Pete, not feeling quite so merciful.

"One job Frosty. One job." Remy muttered, gritting his teeth as he fastened a thin rope from the door knob to a ten gallon bucket. "Remy certainly hope dat none of da other teams are working dis smoothly." He calmed himself, remembering that this would all be over soon, and they would be basking in the spoils of war. Picture basking Remy, picture basking…

_**Later**_

"_Rise and shine my happy campers- our first day's festivities are close at hand."_ Logan's voice fizzled though the speaker system at 5:30 a.m.

Rogue rolled up her back into a sitting position- like she did in that ridiculous pilates class Kitty had signed them up for. She rubbed her eyes. She'd had the weirdest dream last night that Remy and Pete and- was it… Bobby?- were sneaking around in the doorway of their cabin.

Kitty groaned. "Too early." She didn't bother forming a full sentence- it was too early for that too.

"Unless Logan's suddenly grown a sense of humor, we better get going." Rogue messaged the back of her neck. Why would Bobby be there? Only in dreams did stuff that crazy happen.

Kitty's feet slapped against the floor. She shivered.

"No wonder it's so cold in here." She glimpsed the door. "The door isn't closed." A sliver of outside light peeked through an inch wide crack in the door.

Rogue's brow furrowed. She'd double checked that. She crept forward to examine gap, a couple steps behind Kitty. Next door, a series of shrieks rang out. What in the…

"Kitty no!"

Rogue grabbed a wad of the back of her t-shirt. But it was too late- Kitty's hand was already on the knob.

Sploosh!

A river of chocolate syrup flooded from a ten gallon bucket above them. A futile attempt to escape left them on their backsides, as Kitty slipped over the sloppy mocha river, subsequently, dragging Rogue down with her.

Rogue seethed. It was no dream. "Those _boys_." She trembled with rage. These were her favorite pj's, and now they were covered in chocolate stains.

Kitty stared at her shaking, cocoa coated fingers. "How did they even set this up?" Her voice came out an octave too high. "I'm like, a really light sleeper!"

Rogue did not spare the second to dis-indulge her fantasies. Instead, she stepped outside, like all the other girls, to glare at the line of smirking boys across from them.

Logan, standing between the two rows, looked from side, to side. "I don't want to know." He shook his head.

Rogue turned to stomp back into her room.

"Aye Chere,"

She stopped.

"I thought girls liked chocolate."

She could hear his smirk. Her hands rolled into fists, and she stormed back into the cabin.

There would be blood. (Figuratively- real blood would be yucky.)


	5. Orange Isn't Your Color

**A/N: I know this update took **_**more**_** than forever. My sincerest apologies=/ I blame school. I know, it's totally weak. But, I'm back… right? You totally don't hate me right? Right? Okay, it's taken long enough to write it so let's get to the story. (again, I'm sorry for the delay. I'm doing my best to make sure they don't happen anymore. At least not with this story.)**

**I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

_Men are idiots, and deserve to be treated as such_. (No offense to any of my male readership out there. Rogue thought it, not me). So this next prank needed to be an absolute insult to their manhood. Something twisted and sadistic and feminine.

The exact kind of thing Kitty Pryde would formulate.

"So what's our plan Commander?" Kitty whispered to the brooding reluctant leader next to her as she glared across the circle. _Does chocolate clog pores?_ Because if it did the boys were totally getting a two for one special in the prank department. She pretended to stretch, relaxing when Logan wasn't looking.

"Half-Pint," he said in a sugar coated voice, never looking in her direction. "Does this look like a vacation to you?"

Kitty's blue eyes roamed over the half melted grey slush around her. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Get back to stretching!" He snarled.

Rumors had spun around that Professor X had sent him to anger management, because for awhile he was even more irritable than usual. But he had calmed down some. Maybe. For Logan, anyway.

"I need to get him one of those sand garden things," she rolled her eyes to Rogue. "You know, with the little rocks and the cute little rake?"

"Kitty. Focus." Crap. Who was she kidding? She was asking for the impossible. She sighed. _Ah will regret this later._ "Ah'm naming you General."

Kitty's eyes brightened like an Easter Bunny. "Really?" This was a moment of progress in their friendship. In spite of all the snarky digs, Rogue totally thought she was competent.

"Yes. Really." Rogue didn't roll her eyes. She contained herself, difficult as it was. "I need your mind."

Kitty's grin went evil, and she had that far off look like she did when she was formulating something dastardly. (*I totally just used _Kitty_ and _dastardly_ in the same sentence. Ahahaha*)

_**On the other side of the gender alliances…**_

"I don't like it Petey." Remy whispered through half closed lips (like anyone was _honestly_ trying to read his lips. Can we say _paranoid_?) "Da Chaton got dat look in her eye."

Piotr frowned. This was not good. "This is not good." Perhaps it had not been best to take the offensive. It could very well be proving to be more trouble than it was worth.

Remy nodded. Rogue, she was predictably hostile. But Kitty- she had that whole 'I'm ditzy in a loveable sort of way, so there is no way I could ever pose a real threat to you' façade. It made her unpredictable. Being unpredictable made her dangerous.

Piotr shrugged. "It is cute though- the glint in her eye when she is thinking of something maniacal."

Remy glared at him in disbelief for a moment- before smacking him upside the head. (**WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. The only person who could ever get away with smacking a six foot six Russian upside the head is Remy LeBeau.)

Piotr's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. He shook his head.

"We are in too deep to be sucked in by, _cute little maniacal eyes_ now."Remy stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Meeting again tonight. Regroup. Gain focus." It was clear to him that there was a little too much celebration over the morning's small victory. He needed his troops to see the larger picture.

_**Later**_

It was actually better that they were having a meeting- the ladies had been counting on it. Being the more organized gender, they didn't need some pointless gathering to get themselves together. Kitty briefed them on the plan and off they were- sneaking through the night like a group of feminist ninjas.

"It's disgusting in here." Amara whined.

"Really?" Kitty snapped. "I had to come in here by myself." She shuddered. Off course, she had to be the one to go inside and unlock the door. Seriously. _Nightmares._ "Take one for the team."

"Shh." Rogue hissed.

Most of the girls were sporadically placed throughout the camp sight, keeping watch. Rogue, Kitty, Tabby, and Amara were completing the real mission.

"Why do you _have_ all this stuff anyway?" Tabby said as they slunked through the dim buzzing light from Amara's hand.

"Because I prefer not to look like a snowflake." Kitty snapped.

"I thought Russians dig that." Tabby smirked.

Kitty scowled, opening her mouth to retaliate.

"Would all of you shut up so we can get out of here?" Rogue rolled her eyes. _Would the guys be having this much trouble with excessive talking?_ But then she remembered they had Bobby. So things basically evened out.

Miraculously, it was quiet. For a moment. Before Kitty started crooning out "You're So Vain". Rogue smothered a smirk. She could laugh later- when they were absorbed in their victory.

They slipped out as quietly as they slipped in.

_**The next morning**_

The meeting had been fairly successful- well, as successful as it could be, with Bobby interrupting every five seconds.

Which made it particularly disturbing when it was eerily calm after shower-hour.

No girls in sight. Anywhere.

And it remained silent.

Until he looked into the mirror. Then, there was a thundering yell (a manly yell, to his credit). He glanced around in disbelief. All of them- not one was safe.

They were all Mystic Tan Orange- splotchy, uneven streaks lining their arms and faces. He looked into the bottle of Old Spice he had used. Sure enough, it was tainted.

He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and stormed out of the bathroom.

Every girl and her roommate had lined up outside her cabin.

"_You walked into the party, like you were walking onto a yacht_," Kitty started.

All of them joined in, singing right through the chorus. "_You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you, don't you, don't you?"_

And there she was, with a smug smirk across her full lips.

"You." Remy pointed at Rogue as a sea of horrified (manly) yells rolled from the bathroom. "You did dis." He said. "You fake tanned us."

She shrugged. "It was Kitty's idea." She said. "Don't worry- if you think it's too light, it gets darker as time goes on."

He glared at her. This was low- even for them. His beautiful complexion, ruined. He would need an exfoliating bath sponge and an evil plan for revenge to fix this.

**A/N: Again, sorry for the unplanned sabbatical. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**If by any chance you would like to keep me motivated to keep updating, reviews would totally help ;D **


	6. I'd Rather Be in Maui

**A/N: It's a miracle, I know, but I'm totally posting within one week of my last post. I think… I tend to lose track of the days during summer. Anywhoooo… On with the show!**

**I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

The guys, raw from trying to scrub off the fake tanner (which had been a futile effort- they were still a streaky shade of ever-darkening brownish-orange) lined up next to one another, heads held high, but with a universally weary expression. It messes with your manhood- to be unknowingly fake tanned like that. The ladies (a reasonable distance away) lined up next to each other as well. They snickered (on the inside), still jolly from the pumpkin colored anti-glow radiating from the male section of the camp.

In front of them, Logan paced, leaving deep uniform holes in the layer of snow. He glared at the adolescents. They silenced.

"I have news." He said- more put out than he should have been.

"The Brotherhood is joining us again?" Kitty asked.

Logan's eyebrows crinkled. "Yes." Everyone else's followed.

"What?" She snapped. "I can be intuitive or whatever."

Why are the nasty Brotherhood… brothers?... joining our beloved protagonists (who might seem like antagonists, depending on your gender)? Because this story just wouldn't be as much fun without them. Would it? I don't think so.

The band of Brotherhood boys crept out from behind one of the cabins. Like total creepers. Creepy creepers.

"Where's Wanda?" Rogue asked, almost offended. If the guys were getting a crop of new members, they at least needed one super powerful one. Then she remembered that having one Toad was like being down by three people.

"She's in Maui." Pietro, the know it all that he was, butted in. "Needed a vacation."

_Lucky_. Kitty frowned. _She_ should be laying on some beautiful tropical beach, drinking pineapple juice out of a coconut with a pink bendy straw, with one of those cute little umbrellas. She sighed. Instead, she was freezing to death here.

"I have more news." Logan's gruff voice cut through the dull murmurs surfacing. Everyone went silent.

_More_ news? Dun dun dun.

How could there be _more_ news?

"We have a couple of new recruits."

Remy's eyes narrowed- he was weary of such unexpected company. His inner thief did not care for curveballs. Until he saw who said unexpected company was.

From behind the same cabin the Dumberhood came from (haha, get it the _Dumber_hood? Geez people, it's a slant rhyme. A funny slant rhyme… can I at least get a pity laugh?... Thank you to whoever just indulged me with an awkward chuckle. What were we talking about again? Oh. Right. Go back and reread this sentence, but ignore this epically long statement in parenthesis) emerged a vivacious blond, dressed in a cliché of all white.

"Emma," Remy said through an insidious smirk. "You didn't tell me you'd be joining us."

Rogue seethed. Little miss Frost bunny had joined them on a few missions in recent history (though she hadn't officially joined up). Let's just say, some people just aren't meant to get along. Tom and Jerry, Hatfield's and McCoy's… Rogue and Emma Frost. Unfortunately, being that Em's was of the same gender (and an extremely powerful asset) Rogue would have to suck it up, put on one of her best fake southern smile, and add Blondie to the team.

But then there was another one.

A girl, tall, slender, and totally gorgeous, sauntered out from behind the same cabin. She had shiny black hair that, in the proper light, appeared to be a dark purple. And she had vibrant, almost electric violet eyes. Seriously- she could have passed for a junior supermodel; what was she doing freezing her butt off here?

"Meet Elizabeth Braddock- Psylocke."

"Betsy." The girl corrected gently.

Bobby let out a low whistle (receiving a sharp glare from his male team members, and a raised eyebrow from the girl it was directed at).

"Are they all like that?" Betsy turned to Rogue, an only slightly annoyed look on her face.

"Just Bobby." Rogue and Kitty rolled their eyes apologetically.

"Right." Betsy nodded. "Noted."

"Now that we've all gotten acquainted," Logan broke into the murmurs. "It's time to team up- we've got a brand new danger course."

_Good_, Kitty rolled her eyes. _Because the last one was totally lame._

"Team Leaders."

Without discussion, Rogue and Remy stepped forward. Logan put on one of his 'This is suspicious- but not enough for me to do anything about it' looks.

"Who's picking first?" Logan grunted. "Teams of five."

"Ladies first." Remy said with a mocking smile.

Rogue shot him a glare. "Kitty." She said. As if no one saw that coming. Kitty had already been half way there before Rogue could even finish a syllable.

"Pete." Again, didn't we all see that coming?

Rogue glanced over her ladies. "Tabby," she said carefully. Let's face it, some of these delicate flowers were a little afraid to get their hands dirty. To her credit, Tabby was not afraid to feel "icky"- not if it meant they got to the winner's circle.

"Bobby." Remy gestured for the icicle to come up. I know, it seemed like an unusual choice. _Bobby, Remy? You don't even _like _Bobby._ True. Very true. But no one knew snow like Bobby knew snow.

"Amara." She had been a Siren- it had to count for something.

Remy locked his jaw. This was a tough one. "Pietro." It was a good will gesture. To welcome the Dumberhood. _Brotherhood,_ he mentally corrected (if they were going to be a team, he would have to stop insulting them- or at least insult them _less_…)

Rogue examined her girls. She needed a game changer. That meant taking a chance. She tilted her head to the side, biting her lip for a second. "New girl." She said. Betsy sauntered forward.

Rogue looked over at Remy. Something was going on here. He was looking through the line, yes, but not at the boys side. He had his 'deep in thought' face on (which made sense because he hated losing and would no doubt be calculating every possible odd). _What is he…_

"Emma." He said.

With a perfect Cheshire grin, she swayed forward. Everyone gasped (men and women alike).

"What just happened?" Kitty whispered.

Rogue breathed a sharp breath through her nose. _The Cajun made a move._

**A/N: Thought I'd shake things up a little;) Feel free to review/ leave some suggestions.**


	7. Survivor: Winter Wonderland

**A/N: It's a BIGGER miracle- this is the second post in a row that hasn't taken me like eight years to put up. Aren't you proud of me? Aren't you?**

**I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

"Alright _campers_," Logan said (sarcastically, as Logan tended to do) "Here's your challenge."

_Oh joy_, Kitty tried really, _really_ hard not to roll her eyes. Key word being _tried._ Rogue had her game face on. She was ready to kick this obstacle course's (and the guys… and Emma's) butt. She was ready to get in there and handle her business like a real, independent woman. That's right: no damsels in distress here.

Remy smirked. She was cute when she thought she was all intense and threatening. Not that he was looking at her as cute right now or anything, because she was an adversary or whatever. But still… Where was he going with this again?

"Your goal is to sift through that patch of roped off snow to find these keys," Logan held up a simple brass key for everyone to see. "Which you will use to open that set of boxes over there." He pointed to a row of locked wooden boxes behind the roped off patch of snow.

_If this camp counselor gig doesn't work out, he could totally replace Vanna White._ Kitty snickered to herself, so that Rogue gave her one of those looks that made her feel crazy.

"In each of those boxes is a set of puzzle pieces. You will use that set of puzzle pieces to build a set of stairs." He pointed again, past the boxes, to a skeletal structure for the stairs. "Once you've built your stairs, you will need to fill the bucket at the top with snow. Once the bucket is full, it will drop to the ground, releasing your flag. First team with a flag wins."

Kitty rolled her eyes. _Someone's been watching too many Survivor reruns._

"Is there a problem, Half Pint?"

She shook her head. "No. Of course not. Why would there be a problem?" She laughed nervously. He had one of his dangerous looks on- the kind that said the coffee supply was running low and he was not in the mood for her shenanigans.

"Then I suggest, YOU GET YOURSELF TO THE STARTING LINE. NOW!"

_**At the starting line**_

"You girls have fun," Emma said snottily. She stood up straight, not in some ridiculous _ready position_ like the rest of her little team.

"Oh Emma, you always did fit in better with the boys." Betsy said with a huge sarcastic smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma hissed.

Betsy shrugged. "But don't worry, I heard the drag queen in all white look is totally making a comeback."

Rogue turned to a gaping Kitty. "Ah like her."

Emma scoffed, but kept a pristine catty smile on her face.

"No powers." Logan grunted. "Hate to give Popsicle over there an advantage."

"Oh come on!" Poor Bobby. He just couldn't catch a break.

"Go."

"What?" Bobby wrinkled his nose.

"GO!" Logan repeated. And they were off.

"Shouldn't we have like, gloves or something?" Kitty said, plunging her hand in the ten by ten yard square of snow. Logan snickered in the background. Why _wasn't_ she sitting on some tropical beach with a coconut drink again? Instead she was diving through a pile of choppy ice like this was some evil game show spoof. "This is like, going to give me nightmares!"

"Everything gives you nightmares Chaton." Remy said from the other side of the roped off square.

"Shut up Remy!"

She could tell him to shut up all she wanted to. Because his thieving eye had already spotted three of their six keys. No frolicking through the slush for him. This was going to be a piece of-

"Hurry up Cajun!" She said in her saucy accent as she bounded across the slush.

Wait- how did she get all her keys together before he did? No matter, he was losing time.

"You want to hurry up Princess?" He called back to Emma as he plucked up the last of the keys and sprinted to the boxes up ahead.

"I don't run." She said, speed sauntering behind him.

Why had he picked her again? 1) It would drive Rogue crazy. 2) He had no idea this would be a no-powers challenge. 3) It would drive Rogue crazy.

It didn't matter though- his time as a master thief gave him quite a bit of experience with keys.

_**Meanwhile**_

"I can't feel my freaking hands!" Kitty said as she fumbled over one of the boxes. Amara and Tabby already had two open, while she couldn't even stop shaking long enough to test one of the keys.

"Move," Rogue said, in her most patient impatient tone.

But of course, Remy already had all the other teams boxes open. She could just hear that cocky voice of his. _Prince of thieves Chere, prince of thieves._ (He took quite a bit of pride in reliving his past.) She rolled her eyes at the thought. "Let's pick it up ladies." She said, scooping the puzzle pieces from her box.

_**Elsewhere**_

"This is why you put me on your team." Emma said, plucking the puzzle pieces from Bobby and Pietro's confused hands. "I've got this." She said, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrows at her clearly overwhelmed teammates. Quickly she shuffled the pieces around to fit in their designated slots. She shared a smirk with Remy. They had this is in the bag.

_**Meanwhile**_

The girls fumbled to get there pieces out of the bag. Kitty looked at Rogue with one of her panicked looks. Her brain didn't function in the cold. It just didn't.

"No worries." Betsy stepped forward, gracefully swiped the pieces, and easily maneuvered them into place.

There was just one problem. "What are we supposed to use to get the snow to the bucket?"

"Get creative Half Pint." Logan said, one of his evil grins painted on his face. "Remy's team already has." Remy's team was sprinting up the stairs (except for Princess Emma, who didn't _sprint_ anywhere) with handfuls of snow.

"I'm so going to get frostbite." Kitty whined. Seriously- why wasn't she on that tropical island?

They were neck and neck, both buckets steadily dropping. They were half frozen and shivering, but no one planned on giving in until-

"We have a winner!"

Remy's team's flag flowed in the breeze, there bucket sitting, full of snow, on the ground. Emma wore one of those Regina George smiles. Remy exchanged a high five with Bobby. _Bobby._ He didn't even like Bobby!

Rogue gaped. _Did that really just happen?_


	8. Ahhh My Eyes

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

**I know. You've almost died of shock that I am updating in a semi-timely manner again. Enjoy!**

It did, in fact, really just happen.

In Kitty's mind it played out like an awful slow-motion sequence, adding to the inner angst she felt over the loss. Maybe _angst_ wasn't the right term- she wasn't exactly the _angst _type. But still, the loss was totally devastating.

"I bet Bobby added a little extra snow to that bucket." Kitty naturally blamed Bobby for her current misery as she ground her scrub brush into the floor of the mess hall. Seeing as Logan couldn't let all of them die of hypothermia, he altered the punishment: losers went on cleaning duty.

"I bet Princess Frost used some that telepathy to drop it that last couple inches." Rogue glared as she scrubbed a mystery stain that looked like it had been there since the summer's food fight.

Betsy smirked at the suggestion. "I wouldn't put it past her."

"How do you know Emma, anyway?" Rogue said. Not that she cared. If she didn't like Emma, it was almost impossible that they wouldn't get along.

"Telepaths keep a close circuit." She said.

"Fair enough." Rogue said. As stated before, it didn't matter where they met, just as long as they didn't like each other.

"Wait," Kitty said. "So you're a telepath?"

"Telepathy, precognition, generating illusions- that sort of thing." She shrugged.

"Precognition," Rogue looked up from her angry scrubbing for a moment. "So did you know we were going to lose?"

"It doesn't work like that," Betsy said. "I can scan possible futures, but there's no way to be sure, exactly."

Rogue and Kitty nodded. Of course, it couldn't be as simple as just seeing what was going to happen.

"There's a feud, between you and the boys," Betsy said, tilting her head to the side.

"How could you tell?" Rogue grunted. Seriously, what the heck was on this wall?

"Didn't need to be psychic to feel the tension."

"Do you know any super awesome pranks?" Kitty deadpanned. _Preferably something that puts Bobby Drake in a comma until he's thirty._

"Just one," Betsy smirked. "It's a little old school, but it should get the job done."

Kitty and Rogue exchanged a look. "Down," they said unanimously.

_**Meanwhile**_

"Dis is da life." Remy grinned, lounging in the cool breeze in front his cabin.

"Yeah." Bobby said from the cabin nextdoor. "With those girls in their place- cleaning." (* as a female, I'm totally offended*)

"Excuse me?" Emma gave him a venomous look.

Bobby almost swallowed his tongue. "You know…" He grumbled like an idiot, scratching the back of his head. "I gotta go- do some- stuff."

"You do that," She wore one of her snarky smiles.

"Miss Frost, if you keep getting rid of Snowball like that, I think this could turn out to be a _beautiful_ friendship." Remy grinned.

Piotr frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. A loud, exasperated sigh escaped the Cajun's throat.

"What? What could possibly be keeping you from enjoying this victory?" There were few things Remy LeBeau enjoyed more than winning (that list consisted of: Rogue, stealing very expensive and heavily guarded objects, and beignets doused in powdered sugar- seeing as Rogue was not on his happy list, he had given up his life of crime to be one of the goody-goodies, and there was not a French pastry shop within miles of this place, winning [duh] was currently at the top of his list… what was going on before I started this list rant? Oh yes. Remy was trying to figure out why Piotr wasn't rejoicing.)

"They will strike back. Eventually. Does that not worry you?"

Remy waved it off with a flick of the wrist. "There will be a grieving period where they'll try to regroup and talk about their feelings and initiate the new girl or some crap like that."

Pete sighed. He had good reason to. Our dear Remy had let his guard down. What can we say, he's cocky (and we love him for it… but at this point in time, it would leave him susceptible to get got. And got get he would.)

_**Later**_

"_You really got me bad. You really got me bad. I'm gonna get you back, I'm gonna get you back._"

Rogue rolled her eyes as Kitty sang Misery by Maroon 5. She had given up on telling her that noise put the mission in jeopardy. Kitty just wasn't the 'keep it to yourself type'. At least it was better than the Mission Impossible theme.

Kitty phased through the wall, and back out. "Penguins? Really," She snickered quietly.

Rogue shook her head. She was glad they had gloves for this one.

"Get 'er done." Kitty said, looking up the flag pole.

And get 'er done they did. _One down_, _many to go._

_**The next morning**_

The boys woke up to find two pairs of tightie-whities flapping in the breeze- hanging from every flag pole. Briefs, boxers with little red hearts and plaids and smiley faces- just hanging out in the wind. Emma's slutty hot pants made an appearance too. (not that she would be worried about it- who hadn't seen her undies?)

Remy scowled at the newly replaced colors. The ladies sent around a round of high fives.

"Really Rogue- if you wanted a look at my delicates, you could have just asked."

Seriously though, he would never be able to wash the trauma of seeing Scott's man panties from his eyes.

**A/N: Guys? Guys? Is anybody out there? If there is, please send a review, ya know, so I'll know you're out there. Please? It would make my heart happy. Guys?**

**Oh, and I thought I would start keeping score. That's Ladies: 3 Gentlemen (and Emma): 2**


	9. ZOMBOCALYPSE NOW

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

While the girls were celebrating their victory, dancing around to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" or some frilly nonsense of the like, the men were plotting their latest endeavor to make their lives miserable. It was time to pull out the big guns. Time to stop screwing around with cutesy little physical challenges and good-spirited baby pranks. Time for something cruel and wildly hilarious.

They had just had their man-panties… er, underwear… hung for all the world to see; they had a right to reclaim a little of their lost dignity.

"Where's Emma?" Bobby asked as the men met in the dark of night for their covert rendezvous.

Remy sighed- he was really getting tired of the sound of the ice-cube's voice. He would be thoroughly relieved when the girls admitted the error of their ways and surrendered to the clearly superior male party. "Bobby- you clearly don't understand women." Remy said, pulling the slack in his gloves up his hands.

"Why do you wear those things? They don't even cover all your fingers."

Remy grunted out another sigh, mentally counting to ten, so as to not throw a fully charged card into Bobert's ignorant face.

"Emma is not here because her allegiance only goes so far." Pete said, more patiently than Remy. "This is not particularly her style. Remy wear's the gloves because he is superstitious." Pete smirked. "He thinks they are good luck."

"Remy do not think- Remy _knows_."

"This is lame." Pietro chimed in his usual annoyingly fast voice. "It's not even scary."

"Do I hear a hint of insubordination Motor Mouth?" Remy gritted his teeth. Seriously- the surrender couldn't come soon enough. The Brotherhood was about to start leaking stupid juice all over his new boots.

"Can we just get this over with?" Pete said. Because Russians over six feet tall tend to be intimidating, the group calmed down and refocused themselves.

"Where did you learn how to do this?" Bobby asked.

Remy gritted his teeth. "Has anyone ever told you you ask too many questions Frosty?"

Bobby just stared at him.

"Being a thief requires many skills Bob. _Camouflage_ is one of those skills."

"You mean make-up."

Remy's eyes glowed a dangerous scarlet. "Next." He grumbled through a tight jaw. _Just a little longer… _He could kick Bobby when the mission was over.

_**Meanwhile**_…

The girls had rounded themselves up for a night off. Some _bonding_. The word made Rogue shudder, but Kitty insisted that it had to be done. So they spread a layer of sheets over the floor of the mess hall and called the girls in for a sleepover.

And of course, what goes better with sleepover's than scary movies?

"You know, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Kitty said, pulling her sleeping bag closer to herself.

Rogue rolled her eyes. Tabby cackled at one of the terrible effects in the original _Dawn of the Dead_.

"Kitty- you realize how cheesy this is right?"

Kitty glared at her through the bluish glow from the projector screen.

"This will never happen."

"They said that about people getting superpowers." Kitty pouted.

Rogue rolled her eyes again. "If you have superpowers, you can probably fend off a zombie."

"It would still be like, traumatic!"

"It's not going to happen."

_Thump_. A bang sounded on one of the mess hall's four sets of double doors. Kitty looked to Rogue with wide blue eyes. Silence shuddered through the room.

"It was probably just the wind."

_Thump_. From another darkened corner of the room, back behind another set of double doors that led into the mess hall, came another ominous noise.

"Like, since when is the wind that freaking loud Rogue?"

All the girls were looking at her now. Again, she rolled her eyes. Between the movie, and the dark, and the utterly creepy camp site, they were probably just a little bit jittery.

"You guys, the scariest thing here is Wolverine. I'm sure it was just-"

_Thump._ The projector went out, leaving the room pitch black. Kitty, of course, screeched like the annoying blond girl who is always the first to get killed off in most horror movie plots. The rest of the girls gasped and tensed- pretending to be braver than they actually were.

Rogue inhaled. There was a rational explanation for this. She opened her mouth, ready to reassure the girls-

The four doors burst open at the same time.

"ZOMBIES!" They shrieked together.

In every doorway, stood a set of pale, festering men in tattered, fresh from the grave clothes.

Kitty scrambled off her sleeping bag, ready to phase through a wall and get herself the heck out of there. She was not going to stick around for this monster mash. Aw heck no. Too bad she tripped over a make-up bag; she had to settle for screaming in fetal position.

Rogue yelped. For an instant, she lost her head. Of all things Kitty could be right about, it had to be this.

The Zombies herded the females into a circle in the center of the room. Rogue was about to take off the gloves (literally), Tabby got ready to shoot off some fire crackers, Kitty prepared to phase herself the heck out of there…

Until the zombies started laughing.

The ladies looked to each other. Something was sickeningly wrong here.

"Did you see," A tall zombie, with crimson irises, clutched his side for a moment as he tried to gain composure. "The look- on your face." He reached forward and stroked a gloved hand along Rogue's jaw. He had to admit, she was cute when she was scared out of her mind.

Rogue gasped- she knew that laugh. "Remy LeBeau!" She shoved him away from her with both hands. He continued to chuckle to himself while she fumed, her face nearly purple with embarrassed rage.

"Did you get all that?"

From the window, Jamie nodded, pointing to his camera.

"I'm going to like, kill you!" Kitty slapped a snickering Bobby (several times). "I HATE YOU BOBBY DRAKE."

There would be blood for this.

**A/N: Ladies: 3 Gentlemen: 3**

**Please review=)  
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	10. Paper Flowers

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

**As per the request of Jazzismylyf (and my own personal missing/ longing to write something romantic) I present the latest chapter of Wolvie's Winter Wonderland.**

"Is it not enough that you have potentially traumatized my girlfriend for life?" Piotr pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, taking in a deep breath.

Remy gave him a look. "We need to squash any chance of rebellion." Winning was still at the top of his list. Winning took planning. Evil planning. _Don't get all sentimental on me now Pete._ "Besides- da petite is easily traumatized. The good news is, that's made her resilient."

Pete's brow furrowed. He wasn't particularly a schemer by nature, Remy's manic need to get ahead was starting to give him headaches, insomnia, and mild anxiety- and to be entirely honest: he missed her. "Just because Rogue is more difficult to –"

"Don't talk about her like that." (Funny, writing this feels vaguely familiar…) Remy pouted. Should he be defending her? No. But it was like a protective habit he was having trouble breaking.

A subtle smirk tugged at Pete lips.

"What?" Remy scowled.

"Admit it."

"What are you talking about."

"You," Pete pointed an accusing finger in Remy's direction "Miss her."

Remy snorted. Sure he hadn't brushed that white streak out of her porcelain face in a long time, or seen her nose wrinkle up because she thought his flirtatious banter was un-amusing, or smelled her strawberry shampoo she insisted was not frilly… But so what? He didn't miss her. Not at all. Not until she could admit she was wrong and boys rule and girls drool. And _no_ Mr. Russian Know It All this is not an immature venture that should be set aside in the name of _peace _and _harmony_ or some sentimental crap like that- so wipe that shrink-psycho-analyst- I-Know-Everything-(or-at-least-all- the- philosophical mumbo- jumbo) smirk off your face.

"I do not." Remy put his deep in thought/ scheming face back on.

Pete shook his head. One day, Remy would calm down. Until then… he would have to be very patient.

"I am going outside."

"Don't do anything stupid!" Remy called as Pete stepped out the door. "And by stupid I mean fraternize with the enemy."

Pete rolled his eyes. She wasn't exactly the _enemy_. Not for him anyway.

_**Meanwhile**_

Kitty Pryde sat with her legs crossed under her on her bed, her wrinkled old quilt laid out under her. She had one ear phone in, listening to Carly Rae Jepsen (yes guys, she drank that Kool- Aid) through one ear bud. Rogue had left to go take a shower or something, leaving Kitty with a cabin all to herself for afternoon free time.

So she was whooping it up- playing Sudoku (with a pink PEN, because real beasts don't use pencil) and eating the mint M&M's that she snuck there in her suitcase, in her sweats and pink fuzzy socks. Her head bobbed from side to side with the peppy song.

Until a tap on the frosted window scared her enough to reflexively phase through the bed. She looked up at the square glass at the back of the square structure.

Her eyes narrowed, but her she couldn't help the urge her lips had to tug upward- just a little. She stepped up toward the window. "Is this a trick?" She said.

He tilted his head to the side, smiling, in a way that said it was amusing that she was trying to talk to him through a closed window.

"IS THIS-" she said, louder, before realizing that wasn't going to help and opening the window. "Is this a trick?" Her arms folded over her chest and her eyebrow quirked up.

"No," he said, with a subtle frown that made her feel a little bad for asking. (But come on- she was still a little weary/ traumatized from the 'Zombie' attack.)

"You aren't going to get in trouble with Remy for _fraternizing with the enemy?_"

"I don't care about Remy,"

She planted her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows (because we all know those two had a non-romantic bromance going on).

"Not like I care about you," he slipped his hand into hers.

She bit her lip… but he had those blue eyes and that uber awesome Russian accent. And well… he just seemed so sweet when he had that look on his face. Could we blame her if she melted a little bit?

"I am sorry- about the… Zombie Apocalypse."

Her face soured, just slightly.

He held his finger up for her to wait a second. From the pocket of his jeans, he pulled a neatly folded square and handed it to her. She opened it carefully. A slow smile lit her face.

"They aren't particularly abundant at the moment- so I thought it might be an adequate replacement,"

"It's perfect," she half smiled, half pouted (so much for being a shining pillar of feminist strength). He'd sketched a perfect picture of a dahlia for her though. It was pretty okay? Girls like pretty things! Against her better judgment, she phased through the wall, stood on her tiptoes and pecked the portion of his cheek that loomed dangerously close to his lips.

He caught her, cupping her jaw. He tilted his forehead to hers, wordlessly asking for permission. Her eyes faded closed, wordlessly giving it to him. He rested his lips against hers. She tasted like strawberry lemonade lip balm. Nothing- no feud- could be worth more than this. It was like breathing.

_**Slightly Later**_

"You fraternized, didn't you?" Remy said.

Pete sighed, but didn't respond.

Remy knew that subtle smile- it meant he'd done something "_romantic_"- they probably sat around holding hands and giving each other Eskimo kisses like some annoying, adorable, coupley… couple.

Piotr opened his mouth, about to respond.

"No." Remy held his hand up for him to stop. "Remy don't want to know." He grumbled out a sigh. "This better not interfere with your allegiance to your team."

"It will not." Pete smirked. "You know, you could talk to her,"

Remy had a look on his face, similar to that of a stubborn child.

"Maybe you could… apologize?"

He went from stubborn child to downright appalled.

"Or you could continue to fester in this unhealthy obsession with winning."

For now, he would fester.

**A/N: So… yeah. Thought I'd break away from the pranking for a bit. (Kiotr is the BEST!) please, ya know, review =)**


	11. Don't Say That Word

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

Like anyone couldn't tell Kitty had been scampering around in a cloud of fairy dust for the past few days- smiling, giggling to herself like she needed to be on medication, sighing to herself wistfully whenever Logan called them out to go do some demeaning physical task that involved too much running (and proximity to the males).

But nonetheless, she thought she was fooling Rogue. Which she wasn't.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me?" Rogue folded her arms over her chest, leaning against the door frame real authoritative like. It was a total mom maneuver, yes, but desperate times meant acting like an all powerful den mother sometimes.

"What?"

That girl had the nerve to give Rogue a wide eyed Bambi look like she was just sweet and innocent Kitty.

"You know what."

Kitty's brow caved in. "No,"

"You're wearing your Piotr smile."

The neon pink in Kitty's cheeks gave her away. She fiddled with the tips of her rounded shell pink nails. "I was going to tell you-"

"Bull-"

"Okay, okay. So I was totally going to continue to lie to you. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Rogue just blinked at her.

"Kidding," Kitty held her palms up in surrender. "Well, about the wrong part. Not about the continuing to lie to you part."

Rogue rubbed her temples. It stunned her sometimes, the dynamic of their peculiar friendship.

"You would have just told me not to see him," Kitty pouted.

"Is this going to affect your ability to mercilessly attack the enemy?"

Kitty grinned a knowing little grin. _Silly Rogue, _"I'm in love Rogue, I'm not crazy." Her bright blue eyes rolled over. "I won't rest until we're (duh) winning."

Rogue's nose crinkled up. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

A frown descended on Kitty's face. "Was the Sheen reference too much? I thought it was kind of fun. Maybe I should have mustered up some clever Star Wars allusion but, you know how it is, I don't like, really monitor what comes out of my mouth and-"

"Kitty," Rogue cut off the babbling. "No. The 'L' word."

Kitty's brow quirked up her brow. "Love?"

"Yes. That." Rogue half shuttered.

The giggles sprouted gradually. Reluctant, at first, but eventually growing into a river of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Rogue snapped.

"Oh my gosh. You fear the 'L' word." Kitty gasped through snickers.

"No." Rogue said, but at that moment she couldn't think of any snappy, defensive comeback. "No."

"Admit it!" Kitty said, collecting herself. "You're totally afraid to express your affections."

"I am not." Rogue said. The satisfied smirk on Kitty's face ate at her. "I just-"

The door flung open. Their attention jumped to the opening.

"Sorry," Betsy said, her hand over her mouth. "I didn't know it was open." She glanced from Kitty to Rogue, Rogue to Kitty. "Am I interrupting something."

"No." Rogue snapped.

"Rogue's afraid to admit she's in love." Kitty's arms folded over her slender waist. An accomplished grin phased over her face. Rogue glared at her.

"What?" The corner of Betsy's mouth twitched up.

"Oh my gosh!" Kitty beamed a mischievous beam. "You're a psychic- that's like a shrink right?"

Cue death stare from Rogue.

Betsy chuckled. "As much as I would love to psychoanalyze you, I'm afraid Logan has called us to the starting line."

"What happened to his annoying all call thingy?" Kitty asked. It's true, she really did have a short attention span.

Rogue rolled her eyes, dragging Kitty out the door. She never thought she would be so relieved to be interrupted by Logan.

_**At the starting line**_

"Come on, read my mind." Bobby said; he had a goofy grin on his face (think goofier than usual).

An exasperated sigh crossed Emma's lips. "You're thinking about nachos."

Bobby wagged a finger at her. "Dude. You totally get me."

A look of utter disgust shadowed her face. _Did he just call me dude?_ Sorry Emma: Keep calm, and get a restraining order. Remy smirked- at least he wasn't the only one annoyed by Bobby anymore.

The rest of the girls swaggered up together, a force of feminism.

Logan stepped in front of the line, pacing as usual. He eyed the crowd. "Children," he said, almost calmly.

"We're teenagers." Bobby said.

"I prefer the term '_young adult_'" Scott corrected further.

"DID ANYONE ASK EITHER OF YOU?" Forget the 'calmly' part. The Wolvie we all know and love burst forth from the raging Canadian. Creepy silence descended on the teams. "It seems we've had a shortage of camp activities this time around."

Internally, Rogue groaned. She _really_ wasn't the activities type. She wasn't even the camping type. Kitty grinned though. She adored activities. They were just so… active.

"So, Chucks organized a little bonding experiment," if Logan rolled his eyes, he would do so now. "We're going to have a scavenger hunt." His grin hued an evil shade. "Your lists are in the mess hall. First one their gets a head start." Pause for drama. "Go."

**A/N: Mk. So this chapter was a little short. But… if there's anything you want to see them hunt for (or if you just feel like responding) go ahead and leave a review! It would you know, maybe totally make my day;)**


	12. The Lesser of Team Evils

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

Remy bolted- no hesitation, no dumbfounded staring, no processing. Just go. Not that he needed a head start. This was a _scavenger_ hunt. Hello- his skills as voleur suprême made it impossible for him to lose. This was already in the bag. However, he would like to get this done in a timely manner, so he could wait leisurely at the finish line like the champion he was.

A millisecond behind, Rogue snatched Kitty up by the elbow and hauled toward the mess hall- Remy no doubt thought this was 'already in the bag', but she wasn't going to pitch up a white flag just because he was a few inches taller and had a longer stride.

Kitty gulped down frozen air. Geez Remy was tall. Like she knew before, but trying to keep up with him in a Winter Tortureland? Yeah, it rubs it in your face that you're petite. She was not too slow, however, to suck up the opportunity to trip Bobby.

"Hey!" He said through a mouthful of snow.

A hysterical snicker weaseled through her freezing gasps. Was it kind of cruel? Yes. Was it wildly hilarious? _Heck_ yes.

Up ahead, Remy reached the mess hall. He smiled to himself. That is until he found the closest door locked. He cursed in low French to himself. Kitty phased her and Rogue straight through the wall, not a full foot away from him, waving at him as she went. His teeth gritted together. No time to stew- he fumbled through his pockets for a thinning stack of playing cards.

Inside the mess hall, on a lone table, sat a pile of lists. Rogue snatched it up, glancing over the typed scrawl.

_**Hello campers. **_

_**If you are reading this, you already know you will be working in teams of three to find all the items on this list. No powers, and of course, no cheating. **_

Rogue rolled her eyes. Logan seriously needed to work on his communication skills, because she didn't remember him disclosing any of those rules.

Remy burst through the door- literally. One of his signature neon pink explosions undid the lock in a glowing BOOM.

"Time to go," Kitty clutched Rogue's wrist and took her through now open door. "We need to find our third member." Kitty said as she plowed into a familiar purple haired ally.

By then, the main stream of mutants had smashed through the doors from all sides.

"Betsy," Rogue said, linking elbows with Psylocke. "You're with us." Thank goodness they wouldn't have to sift through the rest of the girls for a proper partner. Not like another super pair making their way out the doors…

Remy messaged his temple. Which of the lucky village idiots would get to be crowned victor alongside Piotr and himself?

His obvious first choice would be Emma- who would be the most competent asset. However, she was not in the mass of bickering teens in front of him. She was on a hill top, her arms folded across her chest, standing next to Wolverine with a disillusioned look on her face. Of course. She wasn't into camping crap like this.

So he would be selecting who would be the least dead weight…

Never mind- no time to decide who would be the least whiny, annoying, and inept. Not while Rogue was probably already plotting a way to procure the first item on the ridiculous list. He would have to settle for the first person to scramble out behind them.

"You-" He said, as said person jogged out of the door.

Scott Summers pointed up at himself.

On second thought, Remy would never (_ever_) be that desperate.

"-should go find another team, Polyphemus."

Scott's brow scrunched at Remy like he was speaking Greek… Oh wait, he kind of was.

Remy shook his head. _And he calls himself smart…_ "Learn some mythology."

Piotr just sighed. He wouldn't even bother to suggest someone to team up with.

"You-" Remy said again, as Bobby dove out the door. Remy sighed. He almost regretted the whole 'first one out the door policy', but every second that slipped away was a second away from winning, so the Popsicle would have to do. "You have been graced with the honor of being on our team. You shut up, do as we say, and don't ruin anything, capiche?"

Bobby nodded. When Remy tells you you're on his team, you don't argue. You just shut up, and do.

"Good," Remy said. "We've just given you a one way ticket to the winner's circle Bobs. Don't waste it."

And off they were- a trio that probably never would have happened, had the genders not been at war.

Remy skimmed his hands together. "What are we scavenging first?"

**A/N: So… this chapter was kind of short=p No worries though, I'm hoping to update quickly though. Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.**


	13. Scavenging Vocabulary

**A/N: Okay. So I did the exact opposite of update quickly. But I'm here now so enjoy!**

**I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

Rogue rolled her emerald eyes as they sprinted down the campsite. This was the exact kind of thing she would have counted as totally stupid two weeks ago. But seeing as they were tied with the boys in pranks/physical challenges, this opportunity couldn't go un-ceased. All she had to do was take a picture of her and her team with a few stupid objects and bam: winner winner chicken dinner.

So what was their first item?

_**Pinus insularis.**_

"What the crap is that?" Rogue snapped when she first read it.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Easy. It's a pine tree," she glanced from Rogue to Betsy, who both had one brow raised. "Pinus? Hello?" She said. Geez it was hard being a genius sometimes.

"Whatever." Rogue said. She really didn't care what it was, just as long as she could mark it off the list. So they dashed into the woods where they would look for the spiny tree.

"Awesome." Kitty beamed, kneeling down next to the trunk and wrapping her arms around it.

"What are you doing?" Rogue said, like Kitty had just licked the side of a frozen light post.

"If we're taking pictures with a bunch of random stuff, they might as well be clever." Kitty said, like it should have been obvious. She looked at Betsy with a hopeful smile.

"I'm game." She shrugged, good-natured Switzerland that she was, and leaned down to hug the tree two.

Rogue rolled her eyes, snapping the picture. Thank goodness each photo only needed two members in it.

_**Meanwhile**_

"Pie-nus, in-sul-are-is," Bobby slurred as he looked over the paper.

Remy rolled his eyes. Really, the level of incompetence was almost more than he could bear. "Give me that," he said, snatching the sheet from Robert. His eyes carefully skimmed over the pair of words.

"That's a pine tree," (_you idiot_).

"Dude. That does not say pine tree."

Remy face palmed: what were they teaching these kids?

Piotr sighed, putting a hand on Remy's shoulder before the Band-Aid holding his patience together fell off and he unleashed his irritation in a Ragin' Cajun style explosion.

They rushed into the woods, right up to a tall skinny pine.

"Should we smile? Or do the stoic look?" Bobby said, placing a fist under his chin.

"Just stand by the tree Popsicle." Remy snapped. (Had he been in less of a hurry, he might have been amazed that Bobby knew what the word _stoic_ meant.)

_**Meanwhile**_

"Why couldn't they just put _calendar?_" Rogue grunted. Seriously—this was the twenty-first century: if they really wanted to know what a "_menology_" was, they could just Google it. Instead, they had Kitty- self acclaimed super genius/ fashionista.

"Because having to figure it out adds to the adventure?" Betsy shrugged with an optimistic smile on her face.

Rogue just sighed. This is why she hated stupid stuff like this. "Whatever. Do either of you have a calendar?"

Betsy shook her head.

"I thought that was what phones were for?" Kitty said, wide eyed.

Rogue sighed again. She was going to have to sacrifice for the good of the team. "Fine. We'll use mine."

(_**Slightly later**_)

Kitty had on one of her devilish grins.

Betsy quirked an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have picked you for a Batman type." She held down a snicker. "At least not the 1960's one."

Kitty guffawed in the background. "_Bang-Pow?_" She managed through snickers, looking at the January page.

"It was a classic." Rogue snatched up her _menology_. "Besides _Kathrine_, I happen to know you have a LOTR chess set _and_ Star Wars bedding, so you can keep your comments to yourself."

Kitty gaped. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone about that!"

"Can we just take the flipping picture?"

_**Meanwhile**_

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

Remy twitched, silent for a moment before uttering "How did you know what _menology_ meant?"

Bobby grinned. "Basic vocab Rems."

Remy shook off the shock. "Call me Rems ever again and I will personally insure you never speak another word."

Bobby shrugged. "Fair enough."

Pete sighed. Working with these two was like being a nanny. A very muscular, Russian nanny… He really needed to surround himself with different company. "Were do we plan to acquire a calendar?" Pete said, wiping a tired hand down his face.

From one of his numerous pockets, Remy pulled out a pocket sized calendar. (What? An (ex)master thief can't be organized? Geez guys. Pocket calendars aren't just for nerds you know. Technology fails. And when your phone craps out on you, you'll be sorry you didn't have all your important events in a handy dandy pocket calendar. But where was I before I started this rant?...)

"Nice." Bobby said.

"Bobby?" Remy said, in a deceivingly patient voice. (Pete sighed for what had to be the millionth time today.)

"What?"

"Do you want to die?"

Bobby's nose wrinkled. "No."

"Then don't disrespect the pocket calendar."

**A/N: So another short chapter… I've had writers block guys. Geez. It happens.**

**Please review. I need motivation/ inspiration! Please?**


	14. To Catch a Toad

**A/N: I'm just going to stop saying that I am going to update quickly. Obviously, it doesn't work (I hate the word obviously. If it's so obvious, why do you need to preface it with 'obviously'? Better yet, why do you need to bring it up at all? Whatever. What was I talking about before I started this tirade?...) so I'm just going to say that I will update at some point. I do actually have an excuse this time though: start of the school year (not that you care. It's for my own personal benefit to try to justify my lagging).**

**Finally, (since I'm sure by now you're tired of my ridiculously long author's notes) let the chapter begin.**

Rogue grunted as she tackled Todd Tolanski to the mushy white ground. Betsy fell on her butt in the snow next to them with a curt "Gross." Rogues teeth gritted together as the little monster squirmed to get away from her. Was this _really _worth the suffering she was enduring? Ugh. Well, it didn't matter now—she wasn't going to let all the prior suffering be in vain.

To understand this situation, we must travel to a simpler time. And by 'a simpler time' I mean a few minutes prior.

_**A few minutes prior**_

"Okay. What the heck is a _Bufo americanus_?" Rogue said. This wasn't cutesy anymore. It was just starting to get on her nerves.

"A toad." Kitty _and_ Betsy answer this time.

Fine. Kitty knowing, that was fair enough. She was always going on about how she was secretly a genius, so fine: this was her time to put that dormant intellect to use. But Betsy too? Come on. _I am _not _the crazy one_, Rogue's inner sanity insisted, _normal people do not know this stuff._

"How do you know that?" Rogue's brow rose.

Betsy shrugged. "I like amphibians?"

Rogue was totally about to pass judgment, when she remembered the calendar she had just been forced to bust out. "Okay. Pyramid of non-judgment."

"Why is it a pyramid? Why couldn't it be a prism?" Kitty raised a sneaky, playful brow.

"Silence gets a cone, it just makes sense for non-judgment to get a pyramid." Rogue exhaled. "Besides, prisms are the lamest of all the three dimensional shapes." She shuddered. She was totally having a nerd debate over shapes with a self acclaimed child genius while on some idiotic mutant scavenger-hunt, with a psychic who liked frogs.

What the heck was going on with the world?

"Whatever. Where are we going to find a toad?" She shook it off. For now, she just needed to win. She just needed to win. She just needed to win.

A saucy smile colored Betsy's pretty face. "That boy, the creepy greenish one, he goes by 'Toad', doesn't he?"

"Does that count?" Rogue's nose wrinkled up. She really didn't care—she just didn't want to get within that kind of proximity to Frog-legs.

"Well, like, where-else are we going to find a toad?"

Rogue rolled her green eyes. "Fine."

"Nose goes for the wrangling." Kitty said, smacking her index finger to her cold button nose. "Looks like I get to take the picture."

Rogue was about to snap about how this was _Kitty_ and _Betsy's_ idea… but you can't argue with the sacred rule of nose goes. You just can't. It's a proven fact guys.

Betsy literally rolled up her sleeves. _Well this should be… interesting._

Todd was hopping (as usual) through the snow, Lance and Pietro leaving him behind as they sprinted around for whatever ridiculous item they were trying to find, when the trio of girls cornered him.

"Well hello," he said, smoothing back his greasy hair as he gave Betsy the eye. "Sup with you beautiful?" He wagged his eyebrows, flashing his greenish teeth at her.

"Hu-hu…?" Betsy forced out a chuckle that sounded more like a traumatized grunt. _This probably wasn't one of my more brilliant ideas_… She tried to smile. Really, she did.

But, as Kitty brought up the camera at just the right angle to snap the shot, his eyes got all buggy.

"Yo- you trying to steal my soul or something?" He hopped up, out of view of the shot, using Kitty as a spring board, flying into the snow.

"Hey!" Kitty yelped, the camera twisting in her grip just in time for the flash to blind her. "Ow." She squeezed her eyes shut as a flutter of reds and blues and greens blurred her vision.

_We should have just braved the forest._ Rogue dashed off after the slimy little creeper. But Betsy was pretty fast—she already had Todd by the elbow. You gotta hand it to that girl: she's pretty Dauntless.

"Easy on the goods yo!" He spat- literally- hitting Betsy's wrist with a coat of gooey green slime.

"Gross." She muttered, falling back on her butt as the momentum knocked her over.

Rogue pulled a line-backer, blind siding him from the left while he sprang from Psylocke's grip.

Toad screamed (like a girl) as Rogue attempted to keep him from wiggling away from her grasp. This was going to take _massive_ therapy—and she probably would _still_ have nightmares.

"Hurry up, Kit." She spat through gritted teeth.

Kitty scrambled to get the camera in place. She just needed the three of them in the frame and…

_Chunk._

The silver button depressed under her finger. She totally saved herself on this one. Wrangling that nasty little cretin would have _completely_ killed her nails. And possibly traumatized her for, like, ever.

So there it was—a crocked, off center photo of Rogue smashing Tolanski's face into the squishy snow, screaming himself half purple (or maybe it was a deeper shade of green), and Betsy, barely inside the frame, her legs in a flat V in front of her, holding her arm out like it was leprosy.

If they didn't win this… no. They had just endured Toad slime. There wouldn't be any 'if they didn't win this'. Because you don't suffer like that just to lose.

**A/N: Well. There you go… **

**Please review guys. It will bring joy to my now school filled life. Please?**


	15. What Tangled Webs We Weave

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

**(I would also like to point out that this update occurred in a timely manner. Aren't you guys proud of me=)?)**

Kitty grinned to herself—she was feeling pretty freaking Dauntless. And a little Erudite. Oh my gosh— no, she was Divergent. All the way.

Time for the next item on their list.

Her eyes skimmed across the list. She let out a small squeak when she read it. Even _Rogue_ would know this one.

_**Arachnid**_

Really. What was with all the nature going on up in this place? Why couldn't they stick with the stupid stuff—like calendars or whatever? This was sure to breed another scandal (not quite of the Todd Tolanski proportions, but still)

But why don't we take a little break from our female protagonists and have a look-see at our masculine party, shall we?

_**Elsewhere**_

He would have to do extra gloating for this—Remy emerged from the frozen muddy earth, stained in dirt from there last escapade: hunting down a sleeping toad (with his acute tracking skills, of course) and then battling the slimy little thing for a photograph.

Yeah. Piotr thought that was real funny. Remy and Bobby making proper idiots of themselves—outwitted (several times) by an amphibian.

"Laugh all you want _comrade,_" Remy attempted to smudge off some of the mud, only to spread the dirty blotch. "You won't be laughing when we win this."

"Oh no Remy. I am pretty sure I will still be laughing." Piotr said through a snicker.

Remy glared at Pete. No matter. They had business to handle.

Next item on the list:

_**Arachnid**_

He heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes. No, he didn't harbor some quirky fear of spiders (not like he would bet Kitty did). But he was not tramping around the forest like some lost member of the Robertson clan again. He just wasn't feelin' that business.

Which is when he had a light bulb moment.

"Got an idea." He said as he bolted off in the direction of his cabin.

Bobby gave Piotr a look that just said 'What the heck?'

"He does that," Pete said, setting off after the Ragin' Cajun. "Frequently."

_**Slightly later**_

"You're a… _fanboy_?" Bobby half winced. While he would never admit it, he subconsciously half idolized Remy Etienne LeBeau- lady's man, card shark, resident king of kicking butt and taking names. It wasn't that Bobs was disappointed: it's more that he was quietly flabbergasted that Rems would do this to him. A heavy sprits of newspaper clippings, rolled up posters, and a mini figurine- mint condition, mind you, still in its plastic box—stacked in a neat pile at the bottom of Remy's pristine black suitcase.

Remy gave him a look that could cut through diamonds (while Pete smirked in the background).

"'_Fan'_ is a petty term reserved for the dregs who shriek themselves purple at Justin Bieber concerts," Remy scowled. "_I_ am an enthusiast of the highest kind." He scoffed, shaking his head. "_Fanboy."_

"He has a collection that could fill a storage facility." Piotr said.

"He is a hero with heart, conviction, and intelligence," Remy said calmly. He had nothing to prove to these judgmental bricks. If they couldn't see the awesomeness, that was their loss. "Spiderman is the best." He pouted. "And he's a classic."

"There is no need to be so offended. No one is arguing with you." Pete shrugged.

"I'm going to find out who he is. And when I do, we are going to team up in the most epic combination of superheroes that has ever been documented ever."

Yes guys. Remy has a bro-crush on Spidey. But who could help it really? That web-slinger has got it going on. The whole "_With great power_…" thing, you know?

"Why do you carry that stuff around you?" Bobby's brow corked.

"Not because I'm waiting for him to appear at any moment to do a personal signing if that's what you're thinking." Remy snapped. Geez Rems, paranoid much? "And even if that was the reason, it really isn't that outlandish—New York is his primary place of action." He glanced from Pete to Bobby, who both just had a stunned silence creep over them. "Stop judging me, and take the picture."

"Will this count?" Bobby wrinkled his nose as Remy unrolled a poster.

Remy sighed- ignorant Bobby. Ignorant, ignorant Bobby. "Arachnid is one of his prime epithets."

Looks like our girls aren't the only ones who can get creative with their scavenging;) Let's check up on how they're doing, shall we?

_**Elsewhere**_

_You have got to be kidding me._ Kitty Pryde winced as she weaseled her way up the rough, crumbly bark of a tree. She couldn't have just sucked it up and chased after Toad, could she? Now she got saddled with this sucky adventure.

"You're doing great!" Betsy called from the ground with a thumbs up and a huge grin. Just looking down made her want to dry heave.

"Um, Princess Kitty—anytime you would like to, I don't know… GET GOING!" Rogue grunted as she tried to keep her weight from sinking downward, causing the bark to dig through her gloves.

"If you were worried about it, you should have gone first," Kitty said. It's not like she was Katniss Everdeen/ Squirrel girl here.

"Then there would be no one to force you to get up there." Rogue said through gritted teeth.

Kitty lurched up a little higher. _I am Dauntless. I am totally Dauntless._ Just one more branch and they were there, at the ginormous flossy web Betsy had spotted all the way from the ground.

Kitty propped herself just beside the web, shaking like a phone on vibrate. Smack in the center of the silver weaving, sat the biggest spider she had ever seen—like, ever.

"You gotta scoot over Kit." Rogue said. All this hunting was making her surly. Well, even more than normal.

Kitty winced. This was way beyond suppressing her irrational fear. This, was totally nutso, Looney Toons, crazy pants. She shimmied up under the huge web and grimaced. _Take the picture take the picture take the picture._

Betsy hit the zoom and clicked down on the button for a picture of the girls with the fat brown spider. She gave the thumbs up.

"Get me down. Get me down get me down get me down." Kitty fanned herself with one of her hands.

"Give me a second." Rogue said, groping with her boot for a secure footing. "Um—Kit," she said, glancing up.

"What?" Kitty said, blue eyes wide.

Rogue couldn't even formulate the word; she slowly patted her head with her free hand.

Kitty lost any color she might have had. A creepy crawly sensation writhed over her skin. That was when she started screaming, flailing, and ultimately losing her balance.

Which was how she fell out of that rotten tree.

**A/N: Is that almost a cliff hanger? Maybe? I don't know.**

**Guys, please review. It is, after all, my birthday—and it would totally make my day extra special if you would leave some feedback=) Thanks for reading.**


	16. Ouch

**A/N: Massive thank yous to all y'all who reviewed=) **

**I do not own X-Men Evolution. Blah blah blah.**

Kitty tumbled through the tree to land in a pile of snow with an unattractive grunt. She had screamed when she was falling through the plethora of branches—not because she was falling, but because there was a mutant spider (pun only sort of intended) crawling in her hair. Had she been less panicked, she might have been smart enough to phase through the branches and the packed snow beneath her. One could also argue that, had she been more prepared, Betsy could have used a little of that telepathic ability to cushion that fall.

Alas, hindsight is twenty-twenty and whatnot.

(_**Meanwhile**_

The boys had just taken photos with Remy's… _enthusiast_ memorabilia, and were getting ready to whip out the list to find out what absurdity they would be chasing down next. That was when they heard the splintering shrieks coming from the nearby woods.

Pete looked up. He had become quite accustomed to Kitty's particular brand of terror stricken screaming.

"Pete," Remy said. Recognizing that look. "Don't do it."

"I am calling a… _time out_."

"Think about what you're doing."

Pete glared at him. There are very few things Remy LeBeau is afraid of… one of them is clowns (come on—if you aren't at least a little afraid of those wackos, you're kind of a creeper. No offense. If you are, embrace your creeperness and don't let people judge you. Even though they most definitely will. Kind of like I just did. But… y'all probably want me to get back to the story right about now…). Another is six foot six Russians who could quite literally punch a hole through your throat (with their giant metal fists).

"Five minutes," Remy said, just because he didn't want to let the Popsicle to get the idea that Remy Etienne LeBeau was not running this outfit. Because he was. )

"Oh my goodness." Betsy said. Her hand slapped over her mouth. She ran over to where Kitty lay wheezing on the frosty ground. "Are you alright?"

It was a kind of reflex question, Kitty knew. But, it is still kind of annoying, so she did (subconsciously) reply with a look that said 'I just fell almost thirty feet from a freaking tree'.

"Right," Betsy squeaked.

Rogue plopped the last several feet to the ground, brushing her burning palms on the legs of her jeans as she hurried forward.

At first, Kitty hadn't felt anything. But that was only for like the first half of a second. Then, everything (particularly her ribs and lungs) ached ravenously.

_Crap. I just fell out of a tree_. Kitty struggled to suck in oxygen.

_Crap. She just fell out of a tree._ Rogue, slightly panic stricken, stared down at Kitty. _Okay fearless leader, what do you do about this._

She looked up to hear a set of footsteps trotting through the snow.

_Piotr!_ For the next few seconds, she didn't care about the feud at all. She was just glad someone (who would know what to do, and wouldn't be too frantic to do it) was there.

"Katya?" He said, kneeling down in the snow next to her.

_I must have lost my mind._ He heaved out a cough. _I'm hallucinating._

"Wiggle your toes," he demanded.

She might as well have been trying to command the force without using midichlorians. But she did as she was told.

"Good," he said. "You are alright?"

She nodded, sending a pain shockwave through her body. At least nothing _felt_ broken. Bruised, maybe, severely. But not broken.

"Good." He said. "You are alright." He shoveled her to her feet. "You are alright," he helped balance her as she wobbled on her legs.

Now I know—you guys are all thinking 'Geez Pete, give her a second to recover from the trauma'. But see, he wasn't trying to convince her: he was trying to convince himself. This is when you guys all collectively '_Awwwww_,' because he is so overwhelmingly concerned for her well being. (And of course, Kitty could be a bit of a… Drama Queen. But we will stick to the first reason.)

"You are alright." Pete pressed his lips to her temple. He released a relieved sigh against her skin.

A shaky breath coursed through Kitty's chest—but at least she could inhale semi-normally. "How did you know to come find me?" She coughed.

"Is there anyone else in a three mile radius who can scream quite like that?" He said through a relieved, nervous chuckle.

And that was a no—no one could terrified-scream quite like Kitty could terrified-scream.

Betsy indulged in a half-smile and an inner 'Aw'—she could appreciate their adorableness. Rogue might have indulged too (or gagged, that was plausible too), except a certain member of Pete's posse was approaching.

"Gambit." She half spat.

"Rogue," he replied with a cocky smirk. "Is the Chaton okay?"

"Considering." Rogue hissed.

"No need to get nasty," Remy shrugged. "Remy's just trying to be a gentleman."

"How decent of you," she rolled her eyes. They engaged in a blazing staring contest (that sounds juvenile… but only because… it kind of is…).

"So… you fell out of a tree?" Bobby said, cautiously.

"Shut up Bobby." Kitty croaked. She didn't need any of his smart mouth comments.

"I heard a crash," Logan grunted, strolling up out of nowhere. He glanced shiftly at the group in front of him.

Remy shrugged. "Must have been hearing things."

"No crashing here," Rogue said, playing along so as not to jeopardize their chances at the win. All six of the teens donned innocent smiles, like they had just been frolicking in the Wonderland for funnzies.

Logan glanced from side to side. Rogue let out a simpering chuckle—but let's face it, it's not like Logan's '_all seeing eye_' (cough, cough, _sarcasm_) was going to catch on.

"Alright," Logan grunted. "But I better not get served any lawsuits."

Such the nurturer, isn't he?

**A/N: Yet another timely update! Yay. **

**I'm going to take this opportunity to run a plug for another story I have in the works—it's an X-Men Evo/ Young Justice crossover (**_**but**_**, you don't have to be into Young Justice to be able to enjoy it! Just saying) so be on the lookout for it soon (like we're talking possibly in the next twenty four hours!) If you like this story, it has the same kind of vibe—so it should be a lot of fun.**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. Please, humor me and review.**


	17. The Revenge of Mr Julips

**A/N: I do not own X-Men Evolution and all that nonsense.**

They had tracked down a squirrel, a pine cone, a bucket of liquorice, a tent, a cornucopia of items Rogue didn't care to remember, etc. They were finally, _finally_ at the end of this stupid list.

_I will be glad when this is all over_. Rogue grunted as her fingers trembled over the piece of paper.

"Do you think the guys are close?"

Rogue glanced up at Kitty with one of those 'You have to be kidding' kind of looks. This was Remy we were talking about. Mr. Competitive. Lie, cheat, manipulate, _steal_—anything for the win. He sniffed out victory like sharks sniffed out blood. If the girls were close, he would be close too; and he would be hungry (but no seriously, they were all hungry—they skipped lunch and it was almost dinner already).

"What are we looking for?" Betsy tucked her long, purplish black hair behind her ears. They'd been escapading all day, and she _still _looked like a supermodel.

Rogue glanced down at the now rumpled sheet of paper. Her nose wrinkled.

_**Eats shoots and leaves**_.

It wasn't even one of those ridiculous scientific name things—heck it wasn't a name period. Would this nonsense ever stop? For crap's sake.

However, while Rogue went on her mini-mental-tirade, Kitty giggled to herself.

"What's so funny?" Rogue snapped.

"You don't get it?" Kitty snickered.

Rogue grew impatient. She was learning what it felt like to be Kitty. She glanced over at Betsy, who also appeared to be on the outskirts of the proverbial loop.

"Eats shoots and leaves?" Kitty's face flattened under Rogue's sullen glare. "Hello? The punctuation joke?" Kitty glanced between the two girls in front of them. Sure, being the only one in the know was awesomely gloat worthy in the beginning, but now it was just getting tiresome (and boring)… Oh who was she kidding. She loved being the know it all. "I thought you were supposed to be the one who was all into literature and syntax."

"Because you're the math genius?" Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Exactly," Kitty said, oblivious to the wave of sarcasm that just crashed over her. "The point is, we're looking for a panda."

Rogue through her hands up. "That's it." Enough. They'd asked for enough ridiculous items. She'd wrangled Toad, divulged her Batman obsession, and had her intelligence demeaned by Kitty Pryde's freakish vocabulary. She was not going… _Panda hunting_ in the middle of a frozen wasteland.

"Where in this crap heap are we going to find a—" realization paled in Rogue's already porcelain face. There was only _one_ place to find a panda out here. "You have to be kidding me."

_**Meanwhile**_

Remy could feel the call of victory in the pit of his stomach (or maybe that was just the hunger pains). But seriously: last item. His '_winning_' sense was twitching in a way that told him that the girls were dead even, but triumph loomed on the dimming horizon, just within his grasp. His hands shook as he lifted the battered piece of paper eye level.

"What?" His eye twitched as he read the finally clue.

"What?" Bobby said, pulling the paper out of Remy's motionless grip. "Dude," he said, reading it. "It's that old punctuation joke. About the—"

"I know what it means." Remy growled.

Pete's brow furrowed.

"We're going panda hunting."

"You cannot be serious."

"Serious as a heart attack."

_**Meanwhile**_

"All you have to do is phase us in, take the picture, and get out."

"Right," Kitty nodded. But let's face it: they were putting their lives in her hands. Which is never a comforting thought. On either side.

Deep breath. She slipped herself in first. Then Rogue. Then Betsy. So far so good.

Except for the fact that Logan's cabin was as weird as ever. A big, dingy, bearskin rug covered the floor, along with some newly added taxidermies mounted on his wall. Kitty gasped when she accidentally came within inches of the glassy eyes of a statuesque squirrel.

Rogue didn't bat an eye. She's southern people—that kind of weirdness happens in that region.

"Is that what we're looking for?" Betsy raised a brow, pointing an oak table in an illuminated corner of the room. On top sat a shrine of Happy Happy Panda memorabilia.

The girls scrambled over to the table—victory: thy name is woman! (did I mess that quote up? Whatever Shakespeare.) Kitty and Betsy posed over the alter. Rogue had just about to snapped the photo when the sudden _Pop!_—of the jimmied lock scared the living crap out of Kitty, sending her backwards, into the mountain of mint condition stuffed animals, action figures, and trading cards.

In one of those slow motion moments, when you know something is going to happen, but can't quite seem to stop it, all the paraphernalia toppled to the floor. A literal, audible gasp echoed through the almost silent room. Kitty clapped both hands over her mouth (like that could undo any of the damage she just did).

Rogue stood there, flabbergast for half a second (but this was Kitty we were talking about, and this wasn't the first klutzy catastrophe she'd ever caused.)

"This is totally your fault." Rogue hissed to Remy who stood just in the doorway.

"Me? My fault?" Remy gestured to himself. "It's not my fault the Chaton is totally uncoordinated."

"Do not throw my girlfriend under the bus." Piotr frowned.

"Yeah," Kitty said, scrambling up from the wreckage. "Don't throw his girlfriend under the bus."

"I don't think anyone asked for your input." Bobby said.

"I don't think anyone asked for your's either." Remy and Rogue snapped at the same time. Their eyes touched, too haughty to admit how similar they were even when they were fighting.

But, from there, it just all burst into a drone of blaming and inaudible arguing. So much so, that no one realized there was another, very, _very_ hostile party waiting at the door.

"What is THE MEANING OF THIS?" Logan roared, staring from his fallen memories to the squabbling teens (who all but stopped breathing when they heard his indignant rage). Nobody moved.

"Um…" Kitty ventured, because he looked like he was about to go into a murderous rampage and it would probably be best to try to distract him. "I think we won?"

"WON?" Logan snapped. "WON?" He snatched up Mr. Julips, coddling the little stuffed animal in his hairy hands. "No. All of you have three seconds to get out of here."

They looked up to each other… and high tailed it outta there. Somethings just aren't worth arguing over.

**A/N: I know, I know—just when you thought I was going to start updating consistently again, I went all unreliable on you again. I have no excuses. Except for the flaming raging heap of work my college life has delivered to me. Seriously though—I'm not making excuses. I am not!**

**All the same, please review. Please? **


	18. Good Clean(ing) Fun

**A/N: So… I still haven't procured the rights to X-Men Evolution…**

**But! I do want to say thanks to Challen Evergreen and Catmandu22 for your reviews. To 13souls, thank you for your graciousness=) And major special thanks to Jazzismylyf—for your continued graciousness and overall fabulousness=) (why am I making this random announcement? Because I cannot stress enough how **_**AWESOME **_**reviews are in my otherwise fail life.)**

Death stares singed through the air like flaming light-sabers … singing stuff (yes, I know my fail authorship totally just had trouble putting the anger into words. But, none the less, it was there). Irritated glances reflected off every surface of the room.

Kitty shoved the gray, soppy end of her floppy mop in the slowly blackening water of the dingy, yellow bucket, realizing yet another burst of the smell of bargain brand Pine-Sol (because this establishment—i.e. Logan- was far too cheap to shell out for the real deal) and old socks. This was their punishment for the Panda-rama fiasco: "spit-shining" the nasty mess hall. There was no distinguishing between the parties that had been in the room at the time—all were guilty until proven not innocent. Rogue, taking a toothbrush to the fat grout lines in the tile, glared at Remy from across the room.

"What are _you_ giving _me _that look for?" He grunted, grinding a worn scrub brush into a windowsill so caked with dust, it was a sickly grey. He choked down a gag as the dust turned to a grimy sludge under his damp brush. _Nasty._ Just nasty. His '_mild_' (or, more accurately, his borderline consuming) OCD raged, his mouth turning into a sneer.

"This _is_ kind of your fault." She planted a hand on her hip, a yellow rubber glove squeaking with her every motion.

"My fault?" Remy scoffed. "You're the ones who knocked the relic over."

"Maybe we should just go back to cleaning quietly to ensure that we get through our punishment without incident?" Betsy said, taking the Switzerland approach.

The two sucked in curt breaths through their noses.

Kitty, mildly exhausted, swabbed at the floor silently, reveling miserably in her yucky punishment. This wasn't _so_ unfamiliar—except the last time they'd done this was over summer, and instead of dust they were cleaning up after a mass-food-fight; back when they'd combined their maniacal psyches for the greater good, scheming together, side by side, as one pranking, impish unit. The memory almost made her smile—but she was far too tired for the subtle movement.

"May I ask what is so amusing?" Pete whispered next to her, applying bargain brand Windex to the splotchy windows. The neon blue fluid spritzed from its nozzle to the glass, where it literally solidified as it absorbed the dust and oil left on the window.

"What?" Kitty lifted from her daze. "Nothing," she said, shaking off the memory.

"Good," he smirked. "I was beginning to think the ammonia was going to your head."

She smiled at him, just from the side of her mouth, feeling the bittersweet nostalgia. That is, until a lukewarm drained down her neck. She held in a heavy dry heave, every muscle in her tiny being tensing up. She turned a half inch at a time.

"Slipped," Bobby, wide eyed at the unexpectedly indignant look on Kitty's face, shrugged.

Kitty might have been too stunned to do anything, but Rogue wasn't. She strolled over, real casual, and snapped a yellow glove over the back of his head.

"Hey!" He winced. "It was an accident."

She smacked him again. "So was that."

"Hey," Remy snapped. So, Bobby wasn't exactly his bestie for lifesies. But for now, they were teammates, which would ensure that he would be protected (for now). "You enacted your revenge, now leave the idiot alone."

Bobby: _Am I offended or grateful?_ That is the question.

"Don't tell me what to do, Gambit." She said, dipping her toothbrush into the nearest pool of gunky water and flicking it at him.

"Hey!" He said, wiping the splatter from his shoulder. "My mouth was open. That could have been catastrophic."

She almost laughed—until she realized that this might be a strategic moment. She should _want_ to take advantage of it. For her team, right? She bit her lower lip, just for a half second—but her decision was made for her, when Kitty realized what had just happened and hostilely drizzled half a bottle of bargain brand Pine-Sol right over Bobby's aghast head.

Let the battle begin.

Rogue threw a half full bucket straight at Remy's face. He grabbed a soggy sponge, charged it, and tossed it at Kitty. Piotr sighed, rolling his eyes in the background. Bobby squeezed a rainbow of cleaning fluid at Betsy's feet, which she tragically slipped in.

"Ew." She grumbled, wobbling back up to her feet, telekinetically drenching her assailant with the nearest mop bucket, before dropping the yellow container on his head.

Which is right around when Logan walked in.

"WHAT… IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Cut all action. Seriously, I think a sponge froze in mid-air (which isn't entirely impossible because, ya know, Betsy and what not).

"Bobby started it." Rogue muttered (which might have just got a slight snicker/snort from Remy). She glanced at him through her peripheral vision (which was not lost on Kitty, who had not quite forgotten her former nostalgia).

Logan silently seethed. He needed a raise. A long overdue raise (come on Chuck, stop being so stingy: the man puts up with a lot).

"OUT." He snapped. "Everyone out."

Do I even need to say they hauled out of their so fast a trail of smoke followed them?

_**Slightly Later**_

Kitty leaned against Piotr in the fading light, just between their porches (Rogue was… doing whatever she did in her free time. Remy was no doubt boiling the germs off himself in an OCD fit). He brushed his nose against her hair (freshly washed of any bargain brand Pine-Sol). She smelled like fresh picked apples—crisp and clean.

"I'm tired."

"It has been a long day." He murmured, setting his lips against her temple for a moment.

"No," she lifted herself on the tips of her toes, threading her arms around his neck. "Of battling."

Pete looked down at her, a playful twinkle in his eye. "You? Battle fatigued? Never."

She smothered a smirk. "I'm serious."

He smiled that *gorgeous* smile. "Between you and Remy, I would have thought there would be enough ammunition to last the winter and then some."

She pouted. "I'm still trying to be serious. But don't tell Remy I'm losing my ruthlessness."

"Your secret is safe with me, Katya."

"Good," she beamed. "That means you'll help."

"Help?" He frowned.

"Yes, help," she rolled her eyes. "If we want to cut down this tree, we'll have to get to the roots."

"Roots?"

"Roots," Kitty said. "Like, the root of the root of this problem is Remy and Rogue's lovers' quarrel."

Piotr sighed. Yes, this is precisely the kind of scheming he would be dragged into.

She popped her cotton candy lips against his cheek, confirming his stake in her meddling.

**A/N: So… what did you guys think? You could like, let me know in a review or something. It might ya know, overflow the cup I keep my joy in. Thanks for reading!**


	19. Battle Snowball

**A/N: So like... yeah. This update was like... it like... took forever or whatever. It happens guys. This is me we're talking about.**

**And No: I do not own X Men Evolution**

Before Kitty could get a-plotting, however, there was like, an interruption (I know, disappointment. But don't worry! There will totally be like, Kitty sneakiness and meddling in the near future. So like, don't be too upset or anything. Not that I like, think any of you guys are like, that invested emotionally in this piece. But maybe you are. I'm trying to be sensitive okay? Crap. This is one of those really long parenthetical rants where I forget what the heck I'm talking about. If you're like me, you might want to go back to the beginning and figure out what started this- but then skip over this tirade so there isn't a never-ending cycle of re-reading. Or like, if you're really smart you'll be able to remember what started this. Or you might just not really care and that's cool too. But seriously, what was I saying again?)

Oh, right, Kitty- not being able to meddle. (See? Now you won't have to go back and re-read!) Her plans put on hold, she pouted as Logan paced in front of the line of women next to her. She was the only one not rocking the game face (apparently, many of the girls had suffered grave injustices- raw chicken booby-traps in the showers, paint in the shampoo bottles, lake water in their coffee, etc.- that were not covered in our tale). Rogue elbowed Kitty in the ribs, and she straightened her spine, putting on her "game face". Rogue sighed- _well... for Kitty... It could be worse._

The guys stood on the other side, smirking at what they no-doubt thought were _game faces_. There unreported attacks had not gone unanswered though- they woke up with green eyeshadow and old-lady mauve lipstick, had their doors sabotaged with bags of shimmery pink glitter, and their toes painted with sparkly red hooker polish (you know the kind where you need a cuticle scraper to get the glitter off because its so sticky and chunky- girls you know what I mean right? Right?)

Anyway, there had been injustice on both sides. Now enter dear Wolvie: ready to make a half-hazard attempt to mend the flailing tensions between the mutants.

"It has come to my attention," he paced with his hands linked behind his back, naturally (because how else would you power-pace?) "That there is some... _hostility_ rising between you."

Yep. Nothing escapes you Logan.

"So, we're going to have you dunderheads blow off some stream, get it all out." _Before I get sued. _"With a good, old fashioned snowball fight. No powers. No attempts to cause permanent or long term injury." He nodded to Rogue, who was raising her gloved hand.

"When you say long term..."

"Broken bones, internal bleeding, brain damage- not that that could get much worse for some of you... etc."

Rogue frowned. "Can I give Bobby a shiner?"

"We are in _my_ element. I will _own_ you." Bobby said, this stupid offended look on his face.

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"If I'm not looking and you happen to give Bobby a black eye I will say it is acceptable." (Evil grin) "But don't make him look like a tough guy."

"Hey!" Bobby- you would think he would stop bothering to defend himself at this point. Some people just refuse to learn.

"Any questions?" Logan said.

**_Slightly__ Later_**

"Stop being such a little princess and throw the-"

Lance was stopped mid-taunt by a perfectly round ball, right to the teeth. Kitty, triumphant look of girlish glee on her face, snickered. Hello- with a target that big, even she couldn't miss. Before he could even _pretend_ to recover, she sent another snowball right to his mulleted head. She guffawed- loud and maniacal like the little spaz she was.

Betsy sculpted an arsenal of snowy weapons; Ray chased Amara with a sloppily constructed fist of snow; Tabby blinded Kurt with flurry of powder, while Jubilee seized the tag team opportunity and dumped a pile of snow down his shirt. Chaos which I am not very good at describing. Blah blah blah blah.

Rogue hid behind a tree, ready to deliver that shiner right to Bobby's unaware face. But right when she came in striking distance, a pair of cold hands settled on her slender waist. _Crap._ How could she loose track of the Cajun? Especially when it was so obvious that he would be after her?

"Easy there Chere." The snicker seeped through his tone. She let the powdery ball roll down her palm, hitting the frozen ground with a plop. Clearly, Gambit was unarmed- both his palms flat against her. But he always had a plan. Always.

She turned around to face him. Nothing. No weapon but that cocky grin.

"What are you up to?" Her brow dipped.

He shrugged, taking a deep step back.

And a storm of neon white snow pelted her from all angles. A short shriek escaped her stunned lips. Yes, Remy employed several members of the male teammates to do his bidding. When she could open her eyes, her cheeks turned an indignant shade of red. Her girls, watching from a distance, were on the move, tracking down her assailants. Leaving her to deal with the mastermind.

"You," she couldn't even form the words. "Of all the low, cheating, unsportsmanlike-" She loomed closer to him, crunching through the snow under her.

"You could just surrender." He matched her steps.

Her breath came out in silvery misty puffs. He loved the irritated scowl under her irate blush. She'd accidentally came close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his face.

"I can't even believe you."

"It would be easier."

"No."

"Maybe?"

"You."

"Me."

He leaned just slightly closer, thinking about it. She gulped, reopening her mouth to make some snarky comment...

When Logan blew that annoying little whistle of his and called the game to a stop.

**A/N: =) hope this was at least partially worth the wait.**

**happy early Thanksgiving everyone. (You know what I would be thankful for? Reviews=) hint hint. please and thank you)**


	20. Return of the Jedi Braid

**A/N: Hello again me lovelies. So… I know it's been… a really, really long time. And if you want to bring out the metaphorical torches and pitch forks, I totally get it. Nonetheless, I hope you like this chapter.**

**I do not own X Men Evolution.**

Casualties. Picture casualties.

But not really because like, no one really died in this story or anything (like I would really go all dark on you like that now=p); it's more of like, a figurative thing… just like, people plopped in the snow from exhaustion and defeat and the burning pain that comes from being in the freezing cold for too long.

Kitty hunched over, her hands on her knees; a long, wheezy breath scraped through her throat. In some bizarre effort to triumph, she'd been chasing down members of the Dumberhood. It was like some weird, post-modern dream/ out of body experience where she didn't really have control of her being. Let it be known that Kitty Pryde could get violent when it came to finding the will to win. That's right: she is one competitive woman.

And up strolled Rogue and Gambit—together, but not really. She had this embarrassed, disgruntled look on her face, because that cocky, obnoxious encounter almost made her remember that she was in…

No! No! No! She was not diving into the 'L' word. Heck no. We'll just say, it almost helped her remember that she was crazy about him.

And let's face it. Remy was kind of on the same wave length—somewhere between remembrance and infuriation. But they are both stubborn as all Hades, so it was going to take a little bit of a nudge… or a massive, forceful shove… probably the latter.

Yes, it would seem that our dear Katherine would need to be up to something—a bit of her usual scheming. Who would be better to bring our beloved protagonists back together again?

"This is good." Logan nodded to himself. "Now, do we all _feel _better?"

Grumbles echoed from the half incapacitated kids.

Really, this was a win for him. From this point forward, he was no longer responsible for any incidents that might arise. What? He provided the opportunity for them to beat each other mercilessly. If they didn't get it out of their system that was their own fault. Teenagers. I tell ya.

"Dismissed."

**_Later_**

Kitty wound three slender strips of hair at the base of her neck, just behind her ear, in a careful, alternating pattern. That's right people: we're talking Jedi braid. Piotr watched her as she fastened the clump with a mini-rubber band. He glanced out at the star-dusted night sky.

"Maybe…" he watched Kitty's brow slowly drop. "We should let this go."

Let this go? Yeah, right.

"They might get back together on their own." He shrugged. If it was possible, her brow would have lowered more. Clearly, he was forgetting the order of the universe.

"Well like—I guess," Kitty scoffed. "But that would take like, forever and twelve and a half years because they're both so pigheaded."

He contained a sigh, lest she begin to lecture on the _importance of the mission_.

"And we're like, their friends—it's practically our duty." Her hands punched into her narrow hips. "Are you prepared to enact the mission?"

He gave her a small nod. Kitty fluffed her hair, disguising her expertly twined Jedi braid in her brown tresses. She had to look incognito, or risk jeopardizing the plan. She reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Bust it," she said, nodding the affirmative.

**_Slightly Later_**

Remy sat perched on his bed. Meditating, as it were. The soothing sounds of the Credence Clearwater Revival pulsed through his ears (what? Did you think he would be listening to some frilly techno pop garbage or something? No. It's all about the classics. The southern classics.).

He happened to be so enthralled in his southern classics that he didn't hear the tapping at the door. Until the tapping became a rapping and the rapping an impatient banging.

His brows pinched together. _Who the…_

The door swung open to reveal… Kitty. She shivered, swiping her hands down her arms in a vain effort to preserve body heat. She tried (and failed) to hide the "_About time"_ scowl on her face.

"Katherine."

"Remedius."

"What?" He said, a rare look of confusion on his visage.

"Remy is the diminutive of Remedius." She rolled her eyes. _Obviously. _

Remy returned with a 'I'm not even going to respond to that' look. "What do you want?"

She twirled a buttery layer of brown hair in her fingers, real sweet. She splashed the most innocent expression she could over her features.

"Logan wants to see you, like in his office. Pronto."

He studied her. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary; and that worried him. This was Kitty. Casual was not her style. He pointed a finger at her, an amused smirk rising over his lips.

"This is a trap, isn't it?" His hands clapped together. A dry chuckle shook his chest.

She shrugged. "Do you really want to chance it?"

He chewed the inside of his cheek before plucking his trench coat from the hanger by the door.

Kitty smirked. All going according to plan.

**_Meanwhile_**

Piotr knocked sheepishly at the door. Just get it over with Pete. Just get it over with. The door swung open with a whoosh.

"She's not here." Rogue grunted, keeping a worn copy of _To Kill A Mockingbird_ smashed up against her nose.

Pete frowned. "I am not looking for Katya."

Rogue cocked a brow, folding the book and setting it at her side.

"What I mean is—uh,"

He did not like lying. He was not good at it. Under Rogue's sharp stare, his memory floundered. _Something about…_

"Office, in, see you, Logan wants to—"

She tilted her head to the side and leaned against the door frame.

"Suuuure." She slid a book mark between page forty-four and forty-five, before putting on her coat and boots.

"Logan wants to see you in his office." Pete said, gaining enough composure to web his lies together properly. "He's… angry?"

"… Okay," Rogue said. _What else is new? _He was acting… strange? Too much time with Kitty. Something was probably afoot—but was it worth taking that gamble? Hardly.

**A/N: Ahaha. I'm tapping my fingers together like an evil genius (okay… so I'm not a genius. But I can be evil). What is our dear Katherine's master plan? It's... actually really simple. But you'll see. Again, sorry for the wait.**

**Please review. Bring my heart joy.  
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	21. Making Exceptions

**A/N: I do not own X Men Evolution; stop bringing it up jerk.**

Remy slipped through the door, down the campsite and... right past Logan's office. Was he actually going to go be lectured by the raging Wolverine? Of course not. Was he stupid enough to be caught in his room while he was not going to Logan's office? No. He was a troublemaker, not an idiot.

Instead, he paced through the slush to one of the camp's many trails, his boots gouging holes behind him. Not that it mattered- at the rate it was snowing, those prints would be covered in no time, leaving no trace of his escape.

Time to think. Plot. Organize. Get his head back in the game. Get together a plan to end all plans before he got all rosy over Rogue again.

_Rogue_... (inward sigh)

_Cut that out you idiot! Get back to business._

Right Remy. You think that. But I'm telling the story here, so you know that isn't how things are going to go;)

_**Meanwhile**_

Rogue hurried down the snowy path, hands stuffed in the pockets of her olive green bomber jacket. Had she been paying closer attention, she might have picked up on the set of foot prints she was following. However, she was a little preoccupied praying that Logan wouldn't emerge from his office to find her ignoring him.

_Of course_- she would be forced to leave her cozy room when it had just started to snow.

But, it was better than waiting in her room for Logan to ram down the door. She was going to _happen to be on a **hike**_- convenient, isn't it;)?

Her green eyes trained on the snowy white ground... which might be why she _happened_ to run into someone on her little journey.

"Ow, sorr-" her face flattened. "Oh. It's just you."

"So I don't merit an apology?" Remy said, looking down at her with a slightly (just slightly) condescending smirk.

She shrugged.

He chuckled.

"Oh shut up." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not laughing at you Chere,"

Her brows creased.

"This was a trap," he shook his head. He had to give it to Kitty, she was a crafty one. Simple, but genius.

Rogue's expression soured. _Of course it was... _Was she irritated? She couldn't tell.

"She wouldn't have to trap us if you would just apologize," Rogue muttered, planting her fists into her hips.

He was about to snap back, something about how she shouldn't have been so sensitive in the first place and how he was right about everything and if anyone deserved an apology it was him... but she had snowflakes on her long dark eyelashes. His expression softened.

"What?" Her head tilted to the side, her own expression faltering.

"Would it make a difference?"

"Yes," she said, dropping her arms.

He took a sharp breath through his nose. She was lucky she was cute.

"And I suppose you've just been an angel," he smirked.

She scowled; just when it seemed like he might give, he made her want to hit him. She took a step back. He compensated with a bigger step forward.

"You're so pigheaded." She attempted another step back. But he caught her by the hand.

Something about her pout. The rosiness in her cheeks. Those snowflakes on her eyelashes.

Darn snowflakes.

Her nose almost brushed his. Inches. Just inches.

She braced. "Remy Etienne LeBeau don't you dare-"

Too late.

He tipped her chin up and the words folded up in a kiss.

They parted. A smile started at his lips. Wow. It had been too long hadn't it?

She tried to glower. Scouted out some snotty angry comment. It wasn't there.

"Truce?"

Remy LeBeau? Asking for a truce? Calling a tie? No. Never.

Apparently not never. This girl even had him setting aside his will to win. The exception to all his rules.

Well that was something, wasn't it?

She wanted to resist. But really, it was cold, and she was tired.

"Fine." She said, leaning her weight in her toes so her nose touched his; her arms wound over his neck. _Oh how cutesy_. Months ago she would have gagged at such a slovenly sweet display of affection. _Too much time with Kitty_. "But Remy,"

"Yes," he said, staring at the watermelon balm on her lips (shiny O.O).

"Call me a damsel in distress ever again, and you will rue the day."

He grinned. "Did you just say _rue the day_?"

**_Meanwhile_**

Kitty watched from farther down the trail, behind some snow drenched tree. A pair of pink binoculars rooted themselves on her wide eyes. Her smile could out do a commercial for Whitestrips.

Pete smirked. Really, as quirky as she was, there were times when she amazed him.

"How did you know this would happen? That they would go down the trail and that _this_ would occur?"

"It's a gift," she dropped the binoculars to roll her eyes playfully. And then she stole a kiss of her own.

**A/N: Ahhh... romance****. What can I say, I love the goo. A bit of an awkward transition, I know- but the wait was killing me.  
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**I'm afraid we're drawing to a close here in our Winter Wonderland=( just to warn you... the next chapter will come soon (I hope)  
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**BUT there's still time to like... review if you liked this story/chapter.  
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	22. The End?

**A/N: **To Anoymous136: holy crap! It has been a full year! Gracious! I might cry! (Not really, but you get the point.)  
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**I feel like this is really sudden, but I think this is the last chapter. Oh my gosh...  
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**I do not own X-Men Evolution**

"Come on man," Bobby shook his head as the presumably reunited couple strolled in. They didn't have their arms around each other. They weren't holding hands. They weren't even smiling furtive little smiles. They just walked in together. That was enough. "Are you kidding me."

Rogue rolled her eyes. Everyone was gathered in the mess hall. The last dinner at Camp Wolvie snuck up on them (and the very scatterbrained author) quite suddenly. Across the room, Kitty (having crept in only seconds earlier) sat beside Pete at a table with Betsy.

Remy sighed, placing a hand on Bobby's shoulder. "We..." he looked over at Rogue. "Have negotiated the terms of a truce." The word tasted funny: _truce_. This was, obviously, a one time only deal.

The room looked up at their respective leaders. A textured tension splintered up- just a little bit. But there had been a hierarchy, and now might not be the time to contradict it. As much as they all wanted to hand the opposing gender's butt's to them, they didn't like living in constant fear of debilitating pranking. (It was no way to live).

"No more annoying sexist comments." Rogue shot Bobby a look that made him shrink in his seat.

"And no more unreasonably sensitive reactions," Remy finished.

The kids shrugged at each other. It seemed fair enough.

(I know. This is a lame portion of the plot. But the alternative was to have a never ending cycle of bloodthirsty, gender based pranking that I am unequipped to write about. Plus I mean, that seems kind of unhealthy, to be so continually bitter about something. I'm just saying.)

"Does this mean I can sit with Jean?" Scott had that sickening puppy look (one that he'd been trying to hide all winter) that made Rogue want to gag. Remy nodded; the lost puppy bolted to his woman.

Rogue maneuvered to the back table. Kitty couldn't control the smile petering at her lips.

"I trust all is well with the world?" She gulped at her glass of water.

"You set me up." A scowl made attempts at Rogue's face- but she just couldn't do it. Pete sent her an apologetic look and an 'I couldn't help it' shrug.

Betsy smiled, holding up her cup of iced tea. "Here's to reconciliation?" She glanced around the table.

"Here's!" Kitty clinked her glass first.

Their cups dinged in the center of their table.

Logan stomped into the dining hall, looking from one side to the other. His boots thudded against the linoleum as he came to a stop.

"Something is different here." His eyes roamed shiftily over the now non-feuding teens.

"Nothing escapes you Logan," Rogue murmured so that Kitty and Betsy chirped out a giggle; Pete and Remy suppressed smirks.

"I don't like it," Logan glanced back over the diners before taking a seat and brooding over a cup of milk.

Dinner continued, under Logan's all seeing eye. Just before dessert, Betsy stepped out to field a call from Warren.

They ate. They chattered. They laughed together for what seemed like the first time in ages. And you know what? They realized how much they'd all missed each other, and being one dysfunctional, mulch-gendered friendship. They even made good-natured cracks about the season's pranks.

"You looked like a stretched out oompa-loompa." Kitty snickered at Remy, recalling the botched fake tan.

"I did send you a chocolate waterfall," Remy shrugged, laughing it off.

When it quieted down, Kitty looked over them.

"Watch out," Rogue sipped her water. "She's about to say something sentimental."

"No," Kitty glared at her. "I'm just wondering- what now?"

"Obvious Chaton," Remy grinned "We ride off into the sunset- the alliance of heroes all those readers out there knew we'd be." He winked.

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"He might be right," Rogue shrugged.

"But that would make you think that's _The End_." Kitty whined.

"It could never be the end," Pete chuckled. "This is us we're talking about." And let's face it, with Remy and Kitty on the same team, there would never quite be a _The End. _

They smiled at each other, knowing that tomorrow at six a.m. they would grab their bags, get on a bus, and go back to life as normal, away from this place where it all started in the first place- and presumably sharing a cliche moment of realization: that this was just another chapter, or that this wasn't the end but rather another beginning.

"You know what?" Remy said.

"What?" Rogue rolled her eyes (again).

"I think I'm going to miss this Winter Wonderland."

"You know what?" Kitty said, tilting her head to the side. "I think we all are."

**A/N: I'm sorry this seemed so abrupt. I planned it like this, but I feel like the lead up wasn't as 'ease you into it' as I meant it to be. Alas!  
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**I put a lot of love in this story (and it's predecessor, Wolverine Scouts). So I can't say thank you enough to the people who stuck with it. You guys are the best- I mean that sincerely! Thank you thank you thank you for all the reviews and favs and general love. Until next time me lovlies...  
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**S2 s-n-s  
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**ps- because I'm not entirely ready to give up Camp Wolverine, I'm thinking of publishing a series of out-takes- moments and drabbles and stories that didn't get covered in WS or WWW. Let me know what you think!  
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**Or you could just take two seconds to leave one last review. Please?  
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